Akkord - Navigate EP MP3

Initially conceived as an outlet for a collective of like-minded artists from the rural outskirts of Manchester, Δkkord have already achieved more than the sum of their parts. Having self-released two long sold out records and with their ‘Surge’ track gracing the first ever 12” from the label arm of the incredibly well respected Electronic Explorations; they’ve achieved something of a cult following completely on the merits of their output. Bringing together their collected musical experience, Δkkord channel a sound that’s a hybrid of the electronic musics its members were raised on and their four track debut EP for Houndstooth is a further distillation of their passions for sonic minimalism and sound design.

EP opener ‘Navigate’ burrows itself underneath the skin of all of their output to date; neatly summarising the Δkkord mentality with the superbly brittle and carefully considered, sparse percussion giving way to a swelling and engulfing low end. Evident suckers for detail, they pour as much micromanagement into the steppers that follow clipping the snare of ‘Compound’ so much that it’s actually the kick drum that drives it and, using similar tricks, on ‘Destruction’ they amplify the trickle of the double time hats so that they become an unlikely focus amidst the array of decimated kick drums.

Whilst EP closer ‘Title Sequence’ is a timely and poignant respite from Δkkord’s dancefloor assault, effortlessly washing away the shoulder swagger of the previous tracks with its rolling dub undertones, it’s still just as expertly executed. Honest and endlessly layered, the Navigate EP is both a strong statement of intent and a masterful continuation of the kind of work Δkkord have piloted since their first record appeared so discreetly in stores in March of last year.