Extended Play 018: Brutalist - Michael J Fox

Words by Joshua Bowling (Dream Coast)

Making their return as Brutalist, Melbourne-based producer Lucianblomkamp and John Hassell of Seekae assemble a collection of dark and introspective electronic beats for Michael J Fox. Their first collaborative release since debuting in 2016, the EP sees the duo create a brooding atmosphere across five tracks.

The writing process involved emailing song ideas across the globe. The nomadic Hassell explains Michael J Fox as “A tapestry of blood, binary and Prophet Rev-2 presets. A somewhat daring attempt to reduce the distance between us all in this day and age.”

After Brutalist establishes the claustrophobic mood of the EP in symphonic prelude ‘Eve’; the clouds subside for glimpses of warmth. Lush synth pads appear on ‘Movements’ before a gritty two-step rhythm comes to the foreground. The analogue drift on standout-out track ‘South Street’ is beautiful, with a catchy lead melody and harp-like arpeggio dancing around an infectious bass-line.

The stark UK influence is most prevalent in the uncompromising ‘Balsalke’ featuring alt-rapper LYAM. The anxious Burial-esque beats are complimented well with a hypnotic video from Melbourne-based hyper-realism artist Tristan Jalleh. The industrial and uncanny feel continues through the half-time DnB track ‘Terranean’, with chopped and warped vocals bringing the mesmeric EP to a close.