Kiwa

Phat Cat / Disco Infection 12”

Exogenic (Finland)

The first Kiwa I’ve heard since their track on Ultrapop, this 12” is a sheer delight and has be rabidly salivating from the waist down at the prospect of another album. Phat Cat is downright bloody good psytrance. It’s moody, spacious, and dazzlingly well-produced. I can’t really liken it to anything else, really – if you think of that Cyclotron-era Wizzy sound, of future-industrial mech-warrior stuff, then this could be the soundtrack to that particular apocalypse’s afterparty. There are hooks and riffs aplenty, somehow layered into this smooth piece of trance that just flows along and has you drawn right into the centre. Best bit of all is when breakbeats tease and poke at you before the final run comes in – and forget the idea of arms in the air, just don’t care, pilltrance final runs. This is pure understated quality. Disco Infection, meanwhile, does more or less what it says on the tin. A tight rhythm hooks you before this marvellous bassline drops – funkier than a truckload of hotdogs, it pins everything together in a real slice of tribal disco. The vibe is in the same vein as Loopus et al, and it’s great to hear these great producers offering their hand for something more, something new. Utterly bloody fantastic, in other words. If this was only an album, it would be a truly essential buy. As it is, this 12” is a good bet for anyone who’s finding themselves playing to crowds less and less enamoured with psytrance. It doesn’t have to have a Terrance McKenna sample to be genuinely psychedelic. Bring it.