[KilleKill]

Last year, Berlin’s Killekill imprint released HH3, their first Bill Youngman record. Disappointingly, it didn’t seem to reach as many ears as it deserved. Apart from Sandwell District’s remix, Youngman’s two distinctive pieces were as good as anything else the year had to offer. Let’s hope that the similarly impressive Shadent has more of an impact. Like HH3, both sides of Shadent are markedly different but equally appealing. The title track shows off dungeon techno at its finest, grinding inexorably forward via a war-machine rhythm section and ink-smudge echoes. “You need to hear it on a big system,” goes the cliché. It’s not quite true for “Shadent,” as it sounds great at home. That said, of the slow, intestine-rumbling bass that throbs wickedly through the breakdown, only a club will do it true visceral justice.

A punishing breakbeat takes control in “Wespe.” It doesn’t have the sustained intensity of “Shadent,” but the track’s tough claps and erratic, shimmying mid-range can sometimes feel even more savage. Last, “Centrumcircuit,” a forward-gazing slice of electro, shows off Youngman’s tender side. And as with HH3, the contrast is beautiful. The broken kicks are still pounding, but they’re entangled with lithe, hope-swollen chords that lift the mood significantly. All three tracks show that Youngman is a talented composer. However, it’s his idiosyncratic sound design — possibly the result of using less-ubiquitous hardware — that makes Shadent truly worthwhile.