Mani Festo – Pathfinder EP

When Mani Festo isn’t designing the artwork for Club Glow – the collective he forms part of alongside Borai, Denham Audio and LMajor – or running his own imprint ‘Flightpath’, he uses his DJ sets and production to pay homage to the soundsystem-oriented music that made him. A real artist of the moment, the past couple of years have seen Mani Festo get the recognition he deserves, with many citing his prowess in capturing the darkly seductive essence of hardcore’s antecedents, creating something at once nostalgic and futuristic.

Those searching for this fine balance will not be disappointed by Pathfinder EP, the next installment of Basement Trax: a series which focuses on club-fuelled Techno and Electro.

‘Powertriip’ is a full-bodied electro slammer, coloured by the metallic textures of an industrial soundscape. The title track continues with the same high-voltage pressure, this time with hi-hats that give it double-time energy.

The B-side is about computer love: ‘Big Rooms’ is driven by a highly-processed acid melody whilst ‘Auto Sequence’ is a dizzying take on breaks with high-pitched arpeggios and deranged vocal chops that add to the track’s eeriness.