Dorant/Kaluga

Following another remix 12" for Echocord, as well as an MP3 release on Thinner, Mikkel Metal again returns to Kompakt with his third two-track 12" for the Cologne label. "Dorant" is one of the producer's hardest hitting tracks to date, casting his thick, dubby, Basic Channel-inspired atmospheres against a beat that lands like clenched fists. The B-side, "Kaluga," is the closest he's come to pop. It shuffles along at a timid clip, and a buried boy-girl vocal refrain is incorporated to good effect. Even with these mildly surprising changes, Mikkel Metal's slow-tempo tracks continue to place equal emphasis on the textural effects and the beats. ~ Andy Kellman