Laurel Halo “Throw”

23 Apr 2013 — Lukas Dubro

Last fall, Laurel Halo toured through Europe with a live techno set which mainly consisted of long jams both danceable and spherical. Exactly this sort of set-up provides the foundation of her upcoming EP Behind The Green Door, to be released May 20 on London’s Hyperdub. The EP’s four tracks would suit any hip techno party right now, sharing the prevalent aesthetic: The beats are very percussive, and compared to the playful album Quarantine, dominant and straight. New as well is the emphasis on deep bass lines, that may be registered as a reference to contemporary UK dance music. Melodies, on the other hand, are mostly missing on this record, just as Halo’s tremendous voice. The result is one of Laurel Halo’s most straightforward releases so far. And even though Behind The Green Door is ultimately less visionary then last year’s Quarantine, the EP still is very much up to date.

Get a first impression by streaming EP opener "Throw" below.

Laurel Halo will perform at Festsaal Kreuzberg this coming Sunday, April 28, sharing a bill with Holly Herndon, Gatekeeper, NHK’Koyxen, and PAN label head Bill Kouligas (no less). RSVP here.