Is it just me, or have melody and chord progressions started to feel tiresome? Artists on techno’s vanguard seem to agree, as the atonal sounds of deconstructed club and hard drum music continue to build their respective followings. After all, who’s stepping to the dance floor just to appreciate the orchestration? Acts like Lithuanian producer DJ JM — whose work fits neatly into the hard drum camp — engage in their own brand of populism, reducing their arsenal to nothing but a digital drum kit. It’s a reclamation of dance music as a utility: New Sincerity’s tentacles on DJ decks.
To prime the populace for his upcoming No Days Off EP, DJ JM has shared “Ray Mound,” a study in industrial clangor and careful restraint. The track doesn’t merely compel you to dance. It’s so commanding — so like an alarm or forward march — that listeners might fear the consequences if they don’t oscillate wildly.
No Days Off releases on June 21 on 12-inch/digital via Nervous Horizon. Pre-order it here and march to the beat of one very obdurate drummer down below:
No Days Off Tracklisting:
01. No Days Off
02. Ray Mound
03. Mad Move ft. TSVI
04. Bar Bell
05. Original Taste
More about: DJ JM
