Dolor “Misteria”

25 Mar 2013 — Henning Lahmann

Misteria might be Chicago producer Dolor's proper debut EP, but the young chap already made quite some fuss a year ago, first with his acclaimed and approved reinterpretations of The Weeknd's extensively reworked tracks, then with the excellent Drugs mixtape, produced together with Ninja Tune heavyweight Lorn. As expected, the upcoming five-track EP taps into similar terrain, murky beats and obscure textures creating haunting soundscapes that take inspiration from left-field R&B and hip hop just as much as they exploit tropes of contemporary UK bass. The tracks work with vocals (as on EP cuts "Pull Me In", featuring Dolor's own voice, or the menacing, programmatic "Classic Is Over" together with St. Louis' 18andCounting) as nicely as they do without, the instumentals faintly recalling the oeuvre of other lauded hip hop producers of late who've also mastered the post-modernist, trans-Atlantic hybridization of electronic music styles. Listen to the premiere of the title track below.

The Misteria EP is out on vinyl April 15 via London-based imprint Technicolour Music.