Snare Tapes

Listening to experimental and ambient techno in the right setting can evoke both our lightest and darkest moods and emotions like no other. The cinematic textures and vast sense of space draws on the thought provoking, mysterious and dreamy visions that we can often associate with when listening to this underrated genre. It’s music for after the after hours, home listening, self-reflecting. Our latest addition to the Snare series is a quite brilliant step into that world. It’s a soundtrack to the subconscious.

Single Occupant is a Leeds based artist, creative mind and musical visionary. His ability to identify and create highly emotional and meaningful layers that tell a story is second to none. Unique in his approach and without compromise on his tasteful selection, he is seemingly opting for a fairly dystopian theme to not only his sound, but also the nature and story within the actual track names for this mix. There’s an overwhelming sense of woe and pessimism buried in the aesthetic. Is this deliberate? Absolutely.

The ear Single Occupant has for sublime techno and experimental styles is highly tuned and super refreshing. Blending sparse soundscapes from the likes of Zeitgeber, Rodhad and Donato Dozzy with the more abrasive, yet incredibly well produced sounds from SHXCXCHCXSH, he creates a body of music that slowly creeps out of the undergrowth, evolving and churning into an intimidating mechanical force of pounding bass drums and swirling white noise that brings the whole thing back to life, if not frighteningly so. It’s a relatively brief affair at 40 minutes, with the sting taken out for the finale; suspending the mood back into a floating, atmospheric number from Stroboscophic Artefacts head honcho Lucy, complete with a well lifted sample of Peter Finch from the 1976 film Network to finish. This is a subtle mind trip, deeply emotional journey and a techno masterpiece rolled into one.