Bryan Chapman - Ròta EP - EPM Music | The Electro Review

​Bryan Chapman
Ròta EP
EPM Music
TBR: 26th February


Stripped down energetic techno is the forte of Bryan Chapman. This first issue of 2021 for EPM sees the well-loved DJ follow up from last year's Danu. Known for abstract art, photography, and music production, Monotony label head Bryan Chapman taps into elemental forces while exploring his various outlets. Through a succession of EP releases, Chapman can be studied to reveal a sharpening and polishing of production techniques which have gradually formed a honed and established sound. Named after a Valkyrie from Norse Mythology, Ròta EP harnesses the poetic power of rain and storms.


Your Face Is Welcome Round Ear begins with a heady thump rhythm that clicks and bangs like a muted drum. Heavy bass plunges in twangy pulses that reverberate and swell within curated spaces. Crackling static rises with an onset of rampant drums which begin to surge through swift waves of pulsating synthesiser. Dancing energy with minimal input yet crusted with fizz and dusty distortion effects forms an updraught of hot and steamy pace. Jostling percussives swing and swoop as huge bass throbs sink further into the murky backdrop. Semblances of rhythm break and burst in layers of amplitude and angular momentum.


A tuneful rhythm breaks open for the next number. Melodic beats repeat in a growing amplitude that spreads out and grabs the horizon. Bass and tom flare through the dust as hats shake their tonal qualities. Simple and hypnotic, the rhythm pushes onward as synthesiser adds a layer of high pitched warbling. Intense sounds cling together as formula and energy dispel the silence with Kofan. A dancing momentum gathers pace which subtle shifts in focus. The repeating rhythmic burst loops over itself and with manicured mixing, complimentary beats and tones continually add a new dimension of surge.


A warbling bass churns like galloping horses as steady kick thrusts with its continual distorted energy. A rise in pressure seeps across the layers as dials adjust and gently push the levels up to higher numbers. Warrior Child builds as airy motion frames the rhythm like underground trains rumbling through tunnels, air is surged through the open spaces in low breathy whistles. A constant and firm grip with the repetitive rhythms dishes out clarity and momentum with dance rhythms and paced expression. The temperature continues to rise and as the effervescent mixture bubbles over, a new dimension of sound adds new containment for the flow.


It winds up with King Of Thogarma. Revolving beats join in with persistent kick drum as strange sounds spiral and swirl in 3D spaces. A heady surge lists into the wind as the momentum rises with adjustments of amplitude and gated tone. Distortion hums behind the churning atmosphere as thrashing beats dig and dive through mysterious niches and catacombs. New synthesiser begins to bubble up through the viscous liquid of sensation and form. Dreamy chunks of sawing velocity cut through in chunky sections. Stampeding bass rips across plains of tickle grass and windy dust patches. Is there rain on the horizon? It begins to trickle across the parched landscape from miles away, and the music leers onward towards its source.


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circulate · Circulate Radio 021: Bryan Chapman