Dark Sky Othona

Monkeytown Records

Versatile London-based electronic duo Dark Sky return with their highly accomplished sophomore album on Modeselektor’s Monkeytown imprint. The follow-up to 2014’s debut LP Imagin, Othona sees producers Matt Benyayer and Tom Edwards explore the deeper, darker realms of electronic music across nine expansive tracks.

Merging contemporary techno, old-school electronica, underground trance and UK bass culture, the dynamic duo create an immersive soundscape that’s rich in texture and full of atmosphere. The record is entirely stripped of vocals, instead harnessing the power of the deftly constructed productions to maximise their impact. Othona explores a kind of leftfield energy, utilising a heavy bottom end full of deep, flowing bass and fluid grooves, in addition to a heady concoction of subtle melodies, emotive synths, skipping percussion and spacey FX.

Melancholic, emotionally charged, dramatic and often introverted, Othona has an intimate beauty that runs through the record. The way in which the duo are able to combine the almost cinematic feel of the record with rougher-edged excursions into club territory showcases their adept skill at conjuring up varying moods and tempos with aplomb. This rougher, rawer aesthetic is owed in part to the duo embracing a more hardware-heavy approach that enables them to tap into this darker, muscly undercurrent throughout the album. It also injects a more dynamic, rhythmically driven energy that allows it to re-focus after its many curious jaunts into the unknown. A wonderfully versatile record from an unpredictable duo, this is a fascinating listen from start to finish.

ADD THESE TO YOUR PLAYLIST: Othona, Cyan, Badd| 9/10