ARTIST:DROUGHTWERK
TITLE:GLARE
LABEL:DROUGHTWERK

Berlin-based Droughtwerk has developed a timeless approach to music, focusing on fully analog productions and incorporating a range of genres from dub techno to deep melodic and powerful percussive grooves.

The third release of the Droughtwerk DWK series opens with a rough, fast, harmonious sound that sets the tone for the rest of the record. Following on from the successful release of his hard-hitting industrial EP ‘Exit Burdock’, this record leads you on a smokestack odyssey into neverending raw techno realms and reflects the development of the artists’ mindset during the global pandemic as the darkness was slowly irradiated and light seeped in. The album cover photo is of a brick manufacturer ruin which symbolises the records’ message, depicting light exuding through the windows.

‘Sombre’ opens the EP on a mournful note, representative of the frantic fear and sorrow that loomed at this stage of the global chaos. A despondent hazy baseline expands into a flurry of off-beat celestial echoes and we are guided into a new timbre with pummeling base drums. ‘Disintegrate’ mimics the sense of impending doom that ensued as structures began to dissolve, clubs were closed, and no help was on the horizon. The track introduces a more unyielding tone, as nerves are piqued and the heavy percussions take centrefold with lively stripped-back melodies hovering above. Layers of celebratory drums frolic with one another in ‘Vivid’ as the artist finds joy in the creation of music and raunchy melodies fight for attention in a dancefloor faceoff creating the perfect sharpshooting hit. ‘Glare’ rounds the EP off with gut-wrenching techno soundscapes to throw you into the depths of dance-induced euphoria, representing the dazzling light at the end of the tunnel that the artist perceived upon the creation of this track.

‘Glare EP’ injects a new lease of life into the ears of the listener, inspiring a sense of hope as Droughtwerk brings us on a journey from misery to elation with this record that sprung him out of the pandemic darkness. Drawing together a concoction of hard-hitting techno elements and expansive mechanical sounds, he has successfully created a tension-building record that reminds you of the soul-cleansing powers of music.

Droughtwerk releases ’The Glare EP’ (DWK003) with vinyl distribution being done by Triple Vision Records.