Dött ljus: Bottna
Slowcraft
A collection of left-field techno isn't the first thing that comes to mind when the Slowcraft label is mentioned, but there's certainly nothing objectionable about the electronica crafted by Stockholm producers Johan Kisro and Petter Lindhagen under the Dött ljus name. At six tracks and twenty-six minutes, their label debut Bottna is also a tad shorter than the usual Slowcraft release, but that's no cause for concern either—think of Bottna as a tasty EP-length morsel that satisfies no less than a full-course meal.
After a regal, synths-heavy intro, “Korallen” kicks into overdrive with a pulsing kick drum-and-hi-hats combination, the whole gradually expanding into a swirling electronic dynamo. A brief breakdown halfway through clears the way for the ascent to begin all over again, the punchy beat this time smeared with all manner of synthesizer warble. The beat thrust that animates “Förr” locates the track firmly in the club, and as it advances it grows even more into a floor-filler. Still, as so often happens with dance music, the euphoria associated with its bounce is countered by an infusion of bittersweet melancholy in the melodic material and sound design. Setting beats aside, the interlude “Bottna” is also so pretty it could rock your baby to sleep.
With quirky micro-sound textures creeping in, “Senta” calls to mind classic releases from the foundsound and Microcosm labels; a minute into the track, however, the memory recedes when the focus shifts to a skipping pulse and radiant theme. Buoyed by its shuffling groove, “Massa” might, on the other hand, have you recalling the early days of Kompakt and its Schaffel releases. Arriving after the animation and elation of the material preceding it, it's maybe not unexpected that “I efterhand” would end the set on a more subdued and reflective note. While there are no slow-burning soundscape meditations on this latest Slowcraft release (though “I efterhand” comes close), no one'll complain when what is here is so endearing and infectious. The optimism and joy Kisro and Petter Lindhagen express in these productions do much to help Bottna make the strong impression it does.February 2025