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Review/ Max Cavallera: "The Bigger, The Better EP"

  Tobias

As I'm writing this, I'm enjoying my first cup of coffee this morning but it remains unclear whether  the caffeine or the insistent beats of Max Cavalerra's „the bigger, the better ep“ on broque are giving me that decisive push beyond the borders of drowsiness. Cavalerra has been part of the label family since its inception, featuring on its wake-up-call-debut-compilation „10 Jahre oderaufbrot“ in 2004, releasing on a regular basis and catering both to the file- and Vinyl-factions.

While his friend Gabriel le Mar deepened his love for Dub on his recent Thinner full-length (still a hot recommendation for the warm season), Cavalerra is researching the border line between bone-dry minimalism and the two-fisted euphoria of Techno. A lot of praise has already been bestowed on „function“ - a track all but completely composed of a sweeping concrete-kickdrum, snapping hihats and a remorseless first-beat-bass-note, which sounds as though someone were slamming through a wall made of solid granit with a rubber-mallett right next to your ear while still trying to sound sexy. And truly: Cavalerra's mastery of infusing even the most spartanic instrumentation to arrive at a rich listening experience are on full display here, as he works towards a poignant acme where soft vocoder clouds and a short brass'esque crescendo create a sudden rush of adrenaline for a minute before lapsing back into the undiluted hypnotism of the groove. Having said that, there is quite a lot more to explore here: The way he fuses sensual, lush ambient electronica with straight-forward beats on „im memory of violett“, enhances dark-blooded Acid with the pulse of Detrot („1000ccm“ and „what the bell?!“) and fuses echo with energy on opener „impact“ are worthy of attentive and repeated listening.

Innumerable voices, including the likes of Laurent Garnier and Kanzleramt-founder Patrick Lindsey, have already expressed their admiration for this 5-track gem. Add mine to the list, please.
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