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Kahn, Commodo + Gantz Volume 1 Deep Medi

02.09.15

There’s this cursive revolution of responsibility meditating in the bass heavy stems of Volume 1. These three producers – Kahn, Commodo & Gantz – each regarded as doyens in their own sonic field, take it upon themselves to circulate in unanimity. They become a singular instrument. A constantly whirling incubus of aural taunting. Almost intangible; taking their individual statuses and fusing them together.

Kahn, the Bandulu Records founder. Commodo, the JME beat-maker. Gantz, the Turkish tribalist. Separately, they overshadow their contemporaries. Together, they overshadow themselves. Mala’s Deep Medi Musik label has been the home of prototypical bar setters for up to a decade with Kahn, Commodo and Gantz as frequent contributors to the directory. Now collaboratively, the trio remove the presets and unshackle themselves of trademark dubstep routines.

Volume 1 instead camouflages the audience from the producers’ respective identities. As Deep Medi attest, “with shared production credits on all but one of the album tracks, it’s impressively difficult to identify either one with 100% confidence.” This is 100% accurate. AMK seesaws from lo-fi brass and strings to low-swung flutes sprouting scales over crunchy snare rattles. Kibosh’s arabesque sampling belies bottomless sub fuzz. Bitchcraft cuts’n’pastes grimey violin stabs with distant vocal cries under woofer choking percussion.

In these six fleeting tracks, Kahn, Commodo and Gantz somehow find the space to allow one another to traverse ideas. They become this triad of change, mutating from one form to another. Unbelievably, it isn’t messy. It isn’t a chasm of clutter. Rather Volume 1 is a 1000 piece puzzle completed in a mere 23 minutes.