Regis ‎– In A Syrian Tongue

Since the re-emergence of Downwards and the forming of Sandwell District, those who put their faith in the classic, ominous sound of Birmingham have been rewarded tenfold with a continuous progression of the blueprint forged in a golden era of British electronic music. A man whose name is inextricably linked to those innovations in punishing soundworks, and founder of the two aforementioned labels is Karl O’Connor, also known as Kalon, Public Information Film, Your Health and most infamousely, Regis. As O’Connor‘s longest serving alias, the work of Regis has come to define the aesthetic running through Downwards and Sandwell District, ritualistic invocations of shamanistic Techno, implying the genesis of the genre lies with some ancient sub-Saharan Death Cult.

Venturing out of the immediate coven, but still in the company of brotherhood, “In A Syrian Tongue” is Regis‘s first outing on London’s enigmatically brilliant Blackest Ever Black, and is not only some of the finest Regis work to date, but continues the long tradition of O’Connor‘s supreme talent for poetic, recondite track titles. “Blood Witness” opens the EP with a swaggering thump, music for retro-futuristic Rocker gangs with a penchant for slicing skin. The familiar Regis aspects are present, tracks that seem to be without change, but slowly and intricately build so that the first 30 seconds of the track and last 30 seconds are noticably different sonic experiences, the difference with this being that the change throughout is more aparrent, but loses no impact as a result. On the flipside we’re treated to a live reworking of “Blood Witness” by O’Conner alongside ex-Napalm Death drummer and the man responsible for Scorn, Mick Harris. Here the two bulk up the original with added washes of ambient and industrial sound, the kind of thing that makes their collaboration so perfectly matched. The finishing track “Blinding Horses” sounds like a combination of O’Connor‘s work with John Mendez as Sandra Electronics and the downbeat industrial passages of his classic LP “Against Nature” with Peter Sutton, where a spectral chorus from the ether accompanies heavy rhythms and arctic mid-range drones.

All in all this EP proves what we already know: that O’Connor is still commited to pushing boundries aesthetically and musically within Techno and electronic music in general, and that Blackest Ever Black is truly establishing itself as a formidable force in the same field and beyond.

from www.thisisourhouse.org