Slpwlkr: The Multiverse EP
Black String Records

Mere weeks after Close Your Eyes, the debut full-length by Slpwlkr (aka Italian-born and London-based producer Claudio Ambruoso), appeared comes a follow-up two-tracker. Truth be told, the material on The Multiverse EP could slip seamlessly into the album's tracklist without any eyebrows raised, but having it presented as a separate entity also guarantees that listeners will grant its contents special attention. As before, the new release—eleven minutes of experimental techno—satisfies as both a physical and listening experience.

Up first is “Antimatter,” which pairs sweeping atmospherics with a rhythmic thrust that builds into something positively aerodynamic as the layers accumulate and the details entwine. But though much of the focus is on the rubbery kineticism of the bottom end, Ambruoso shows himself to be as attentive to the textural nuances of his creation. The title track reinforces that concern by concentrating solely on subdued rumblings and related effects during its first minute before allowing a bass-thudding pulse and off-beat snares to join in and push the material forth with single-minded determination. All in all, the well-crafted EP registers as an effective extension and complement to the full-length, especially when both adhere to a similar ‘listening techno' concept.

August-September 2014