Tadd MullinixPanesReview

For those of you not familiar with Tadd Mullinix, the man behind James Cotton and Dabrye, this is a name that should be at the top of your shopping list, no matter what styles of music you're currently grooving to.

Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this talented 22 year old has been lurking around the American music scene for a few years now. Getting his start as a techno dj and then moving on to more experimental sounds, Mullinix has been impressing audiences across the US and Europe with his beautifully baroque influenced debut CD and of course, his booty shakin', head boppin debut as Dabrye. Literally blowing the roof of BBC HQ, Mullinix's Dabrye cds hit us like a ton of bricks and now the man is back, giving us another taste into his multifaceted persona with Panes.

Firing off in a completely different direction for this outing, Panes strips away the funk and instead replaces it with a grinding industrial feel. Dark, deep factory noises grind away under plate reverbs and thudding warehouse beats all enshrouded in a thick aura of dub. Panes lurches through the soundscapes, its sounds crawling and leering across the stereo spectrum.

Tracks like "Shaven Glass" and "Alternating Currents" live up to their names, offering repetitive melodies interlaced with dissonant noise offering only a hint of song. Mullinix rips apart his DJ past in "Sealed" and "Exchanging Modes" where a distorted and mutant bass rhythm slips and slides across something that tries very hard to approach an old school Detroit techno track, but never quite makes it.

Mullinix has a great knack for taking traditional styles of electronic music, be it Detroit techno or Chicago Hip-Hop and painting his unique style over it, much like a graffitti artist would spray paint over a particularly vibrant subway ad. For those into more industrial sounds or those searching for the sounds of a warehouse party gone wrong, this is a great place to start. Fans of Mullinix's previous work should enjoy this release, even though it is a far cry from his earlier works of beauty.

"Panes" is dissonant, dark, dubby and deeply, deeply enjoyable; another winner from one of our favourite up and coming artists.