28.08.20

Alterity, the latest compilation from London label Houndstooth, invites 15 forward-facing artists from across the globe to explore a sense of otherness within themselves. The resulting collection sees each artist dig deep into territory well beyond the already loosely defined parameters of deconstructed club.

Shanghai’s 33EMYBW sets the tone on Medical Fodder, with the artist’s fascination with arthropods made explicit through the scattered segments of insect-like staccato rhythms. Brazilian producer and vocalist LYZZA channels her debut release Powerplay, layering melodic riffs with a dense kick drum that’s been present in her more recent productions.

Amazondotcom teams up with fellow SUBREAL label head Siete Catorce on Absent City, a track in which cavernous basslines and complex, heavily syncopated rhythms echo the early output of Bristol producer Addison Groove. On DaRE u to sour lips with me, Manchester’s AYA journeys through UK rave’s sweet spot, breaking down hardcore, techno and trance to build a more disruptive sound. Elsewhere, Tunisian producer Deena Abdelwahed provides a bass-driven take on Arabic rhythms and drum patterns on Abbrejiyeytar.

The styles and approaches of so many disparate producers from discrete scenes gives the compilation a disjointed quality. Still, more often than not, despite the complex sound design and experimental impulses, there’s a tangible physicality at play that reveals a shared desire that transcends geography: the need to be, once again, in a room with strangers sweating it out ‘till sunrise.

Claire Mouchemore