Shadient is a young English producer who is releasing his first EP with Mad Zoo on Friday. Mad Zoo is Mat Zo‘s record label, and if you happen to be familiar with UK producer Mat Zo, his production is a brazen, take-no-prisoners approach to techno, drum & bass and grime. There is a similarity in Shadient’s approach, and the most direct similarity is the way both artists exploit the extremes in the mix. That is to say, from one beat to the next, anything could happen. This is electronic music where elements are very far away, but suddenly are close. Or the music is very low, and suddenly very high.
This first taste of the upcoming EP, “Lotus,” has a dramatic edge to it, manipulating the extremes to thrilling effects, from rumbling, squelching bass to shrill chords. There’s almost a militaristic bass drum step that marches through its under-3-minute length. The overall tone is industrial, especially heard in the percussion, so the track deals out blacks, whites and grays, but it isn’t a cold listening experience; there’s plenty of fun to be had in all the syncopation. The drops are rattling. This EP is going to be a force to be reckoned with, judging by the sound of “Lotus” and the consistency of Shadient’s few past releases (visit their soundcloud profile for more). We understand that “Lotus” is the first track on the EP, which is great, because its brevity certainly leaves us expecting a follow-up (via earmilk.com). Look out for the full EP this coming Friday (April 7th 2017) on Mad Zoo.
