Space Drum Meditation - SDM 007 - Space Drum Meditation
Eddie Ness and Lars Krug (aka Liem) first appeared on Hamburg based House label LeHult, which they founded alongside three friends in 2014 and delivered some proper hits. Taking it from there, they teamed up end of 2017 released the first Space Drum Meditation 12” on the self-titled imprint in the following year. They have since released two albums and seven more singles. Given their House background, the new ground they have broken with this project is quiet surprisingly: SDM aims to connect the dots between organic instruments from the past and electronic hard- and software, made for various dance floors as well as inner journeys. Ancient tradition meets visionary future.
Their new release SMD007 sticks to that vision but this time only in form of (very) fast dance cuts.
All tracks might be above the 150bpm territory but still they managed to compose them in a very immersive way, so you might even move instinctively in half-time during a first listen. All tracks are permeated by rampant grooves made of tight kick drums and organic percussion, contemplated by levitating, stretched atmospheres.
Jehol also includes (in typical SDM fashion) a ritual vocal as well as droning horns, which creates the image of calling an armada of mounted warriors for attack. Ochre Khrisma really stands out on this release! A ninety-second-long intro of reverbed flute samples, moving sirens as well as a stretched sound, reminiscent of Indian string instruments. Only the several snippets of percussion, hiding in the background give an idea of what’s coming after the intro:
A 170bpm, straight and again galloping groove comes in the center and all previous elements perfectly interlock with it. Animalistic sounding chops of pitched and reverbed vocals round up the given eerie atmosphere and creates an image of a swarm of winged creatures in a massive cave. After a last break, atmospheres, sirens swell and the so far very Psytrance sounding tune gets turned up by a hi-hat groove (including snare ghost notes) which spices up the whole tune with some UK Hardcore aesthetics. From here the tune slowly and patiently unravels with the only creature of the air left.
After this journey, Ossifrage feels kind of slow with “only” 156bpm, but once you sunk into this very driving, polyrhythmic Techno tool it’s hard to get out. Sky Dancer rounds up the EP with a constant, wailing flute sample underneath classic SDM drum work, which builds up to a peak time banger with cutting hi-hats and acid patterns.
True to their name, this new release proves that you don't need standard Techno tempos to create an immersive experience; these four tracks are easy to get lost in, regardless of the BPM.
