- Haunting dembow curveballs that trace a line back to Hyperdub's origins via the artist's Mexican heritage.
- Where 2019's Diluvio evoked "Southern gothic landscapes" through contemporary club music, Eslabón, Panch Briones' Hyperdub debut, looks to a brighter future. It's hyper-glossy, decanting the duo's previous music into a more refined state. Now flying solo, with Eslabón, Briones draws from his Mexican heritage, creating a melancholy mood with bent dembow rhythms, heavy basslines and colossal, hip-hop inspired synth melodies, outlining the rich mix of cultures and influences that make up the history of Texas.
"Coahuiltecan" is a bass-heavy eulogy for the Coahuiltecan, a group of Native Americans who once inhabited a region spanning Southern Texas and Northern Mexico. They were wiped out centuries ago through a myriad of factors including epidemics, colonial violence and forced relocation. On "Coahuiltecan," the melodies plod along like a death march, while war-ready drums rattle and hum like a smoking machine gun. "Laberinto" is a meandering UK funky-style club tune, with soft piano keys and staccato drums that keep you on your toes—it sounds almost like a DJ juggling two different beats with a crossfader. Amidst all the eerie drums and synths, "Emma" acts as a palate cleanser, an interlude where the lush textures and rich sound design of the rest of the EP collide like shards of candy pulverised in a blender.
Dedicated to an Aztec goddess, "Tonatzin" is a raucous, melodramatic track that reaches rapturous heights. After opening with a prayer in the Nahuatl language, a maximalist synth that could be mistaken for the work of Hudson Mohawke erupts, but then the pacing switches up and everything becomes a little more spacious. It also feels like a nod back to Hyperdub's dubstep days—think Joker's "Digidesign"—which underlines the mix of traditional influence, hip-hop and dance music that feeds into Brione's unique style. One of a few welcome additions to the Hyperdub roster, Santa Muerte's ghostly but occasionally sweet melodies point to a new future while celebrating the past heroes of one of the UK's most important electronic music labels.
Tracklist01. Tonatzin
02. Coahuiltecan
03. Emma
04. Laberinto