- KiNK tries his hand at no-nonsense techno.
- KiNK loves to play live, and his fans love to watch him do it. Good news, then, that he's found a new way of bringing his showmanship into the club. Kirilik is his new hybrid DJ concept, inspired by "American DJs" of the '80s and '90s who would integrate a drum machine into their sets. The Bulgarian does the same, combining it with an arsenal of pre-prepared monophonic synth tracks cued up on three CDJs. You can see how it works here.
Going by its debut EP, kirilik is not just about a certain setup but also a certain style. These tracks riff on the kind of big-room techno played by DJs like Len Faki, on whose Figure label they appear. Charging drums, noxious arpeggios, guttering basslines, enormous drops—there's no shortage of bleak techno being made to this formula right now. But KiNK, being KiNK, somehow makes it fun again. These tracks would be a cut above the rest even without the performance concept.
"Infinity Is Not A Number" is the highlight. It's all about the arps, which seem to be constantly both ascending and falling in classic techno headfuck style. The whole thing gets increasingly doolally before snapping into focus with a dramatic drop. The others also hinge on a big drop (KiNK is nothing if not a crowdpleaser). On "Squaring The Circle" it's the arrival of doubletime hi-hats that inject new energy into its squalling effects and throbbing didgeridoo bassline. On "Plumberphonic" it comes when the track's apocalyptic samba synth loop takes on its full funky form. The dub-drenched experimental cut "Nestinari" is the odd one out, but it nicely rounds off an EP that is up to KiNK's usual standard.
Lista de sequência de músicasA1 Infinity Is Not A Number
A2 Nestinari
B1 Squaring The Circle
B2 Plumberphonic