'Best electronic live set i've seen in two years!' CHRIS CUSACK (BOOKER, BLOC GLASGOW)
Fresh and heady slice of cerebral techno and out-there electro flavours.
TRACKLIST
A1: Plagued Streets Of Pity (141bpm)
A2: Let Them Come To You (110bpm)
B1: Future Daze (139 bpm)
B2: Plagued Streets Of Pity [DALI’s 'Collapsing Star' Remix] (135bpm)
EXTERIOR is the artist moniker of Edinburgh producer Doug MacDonald. Exterior represents his transition to electronic music and an embrace of the dancefloor. Doug played hardcore and noise-rock for a long time before eventually abandoning collaboration, nostalgia and formulaic rebellion in favour of synthesis. What he gained on the way was an understanding of the power of live drumming and years of finely honed performance-skills, something of an aberration in dance music.
Exterior thus represents a convergence of disparate personal and musical pleasures. Accordingly Exterior draws on rhythmic mavericks as divergent as Fugazi//Battles//Swans as well as DJ Spoko//Clark//Hieroglyphic Being. In addition, there is a deep undercurrent of melody and texture, drawing on the likes of Burial//Miles Davis//Bjork. Eschewing the modern home computer in favour of an exclusively hardware based approach, Exterior espouses a physical relationship to what is at heart an abstract practice, composing electronic dance music.
Perhaps it’s unsurprising, then, that one of the things which really sets Exterior apart is his intoxicating live show. He gets the crowd going every single time he performs, so infectious is his energy, as he throws shapes and struts his stuff behind the gear, clearly 100% in the moment and his element.
His debut EP 'Public Transport' was released on London/Barcelona-based Land Recordings earlier in 2018. Having made his international headlining debut in Berlin in September, more continental sorties are currently being arranged (see below).
This record represents a significant move forward in sophistication and club-readiness.
On remix duties, anonymous analogue techno lover DALI returns on the back of four slices of extended club gear released via two Hobbes Music 12"s (2017-18), boasting colour-themed, screen-printed sleeves and an uber-simple design for that evergreen minimal aesthetic with a hint of mystique. These gained excited support/plays from the likes of Ben UFO, Nina Kraviz, Daniel Avery, DJ Deep, Laurent Garnier, Avalon Emerson, Twitch, XDB, Bill Brewster, Bawrut, Tom Findlay (Groove Armada) and many more... Clocking in (again) at just over 9 minutes, her 'Collapsing Star' remix is another marathon-length effort and does exactly what it says on the tin. Setting the beats to classic electro, everything's pushed hard until it all seems ready to fall rapidly apart (and it very nearly does), before dissolving in a fiery sizzle: a more visceral, dance floor accompaniment to Exterior's heady affair.
'This is great... (Original & DALI remix)' LAURENT GARNIER
'I actually kinda like Let Them Come To You best’ AVALON EMERSON
'Good stuff! JD TWITCH (OPTIMO)
'Great release' NIGHTWAVE
'PSOP is a banger. Hard funky. Fresh!' HOSTAGE
'Sounds good! Keep up the great work :-)' MICK WILLS
'Yeah this is aaaceee! I like all of them to be fair. I love the ambient choir vocals in the first track. And the kick is nice, something I'd play definitely. But then, I also like the electro mix. I think I'd be playing both definitely! And the other two are very James Holden. Very nice!' IDA
'Like the most bonkers party you've been to ever - and we want an invite... captivating release, pointing to a bright Exterior future. 8/10' MIXMAG
THE SKINNY - GUEST SELECTOR FEATURE CONFIRMED (LIVE 8/2/19)
Published: 15