- This third release on Shanti Celeste's Peach Discs label may be Chekov's debut 12-inch, but his music has already made it into the right hands. Lena Willikens, Call Super and the Hessle Audio trio have been playing unreleased Chekov tracks for well over a year. His bassy techno cut "Stasis 113" seems particularly popular among them, although it doesn't feature on the Rotlicht EP, which finds the Leeds-based artist working at lower tempos.
A 110-BPM track is warm-up material, right? Wrong. "Bierce" is far too fierce to set loose on an empty dance floor. From the off, there's a turbulence beneath the snapping drums that doesn't take long to overflow. Chekov deftly orchestrates the organised chaos that swells over the angry bassline. He smartly pulls it all back to leave DJs a minute of crunching drums to mix out of.
The title track is a sleazy house/EBM crossover, the sort of thing that would fit nicely alongside your Dark Entries and Cómeme records. "Toothru" is the slowest of the lot, unfurling into a subdued funk reminiscent of Tolouse Low Trax. Instead of nailing down one style, Chekov's debut suggests an adventurous young producer full of ideas, leaving you guessing which direction he might take next.
Lista de títulosA1 Bierce
B1 Rotlicht
B2 Toothru