Hiding in the cold, dark depths of Calgary and Edmonton are Kiefer and Joe, respectively. Culminating to form their new, uncompromising project, Half Normal. They have previously released music via the much-heralded Noctilux imprint from Calgary. Clearly these guys have deep roots, and as can be heard on this EP, they have honed their production skills to razor-sharp perfection. This EP is a showcase of two talented young producers discovering their combined alchemy to create this four track EP with a dark vision and bold narrative.
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We start with “Slaughter”, which sets the pace with a dark vocal floating in and out of the ether, suddenly your spine is-adjusted by a massive bassline. The intensity constantly builds by sparingly using percussion and fx at just the right moments and using expert vocal sampling techniques. Next is “My Name Is Klen”, which turns the tempo and weirdo-knob up to 172 bpm. Classic breakbeats, mangled to glorious
effect meet thumping 808 kicks, in this rowdy Jungle tune. “Brass Snake”, is Half Normal’s foray into textural half-time footwork. Using delicate percussion and a classic old-school vibe, this tune sounds as if it could have been lifted from Ninja Tune’s back catalogue, but with their own unique twist. Lastly, “Voodoo Magic”, brings things down the rabbit hole into an ayahuasca-induced meditation elevated by lush, clean bass pulses and organic percussion floating lazily around the stereo field. The beat shambles toward you, slowly and mercilessly until you feel you need to run from your dream. Eventually you are brought back to where you began, and all is safe and right with the world.