Those of you interested in the avant-electronica scene may well have heard vague murmurings about the King Of Woolworth's last release, a 10" on his own label called 'Kentish Town'. That particular track was a blissed out ambient wash, somewhere between the understated beauty of prime Boards Of Canada and the anaesthetic melancholia of Labradford.
This second release, the first for the King's new label Mantra, is a radical departure from the celestial minimalism of his first release. Built around a genuinely disturbing sample of a woman relating her stalking experiences, with a detective repeatedly intoning "you've gotta start documenting this or you'll end up dead", the track is an all out Acid House attack a la Mike Paradinas or Aphex Twin, dark undertones of burnt out synth colliding with harsh, driven beats.
Unlike most records that claim to be frightening, this one really will keep you awake at night. Voices submerged in the mix leave growling voice mail messages on unseen answerphones while, on 'Catnip', a mellow, clammy ambience clings to every digitally altered note. Not for the faint hearted.
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7Tom Eyers's Score