Testpressing#007: Rathe / Patchwork Demdike Stare

• Seventh 12” in the Testpressing series, the last in the series for the time being • Mastered and Cut by Matt Colton, pressed at Pallas. • Includes an insert with artwork by Alex Solman

Lucky #7 - the best Testpressing yet from Demdike Stare and the final instalment for the time being for a series that began almost two years ago. Landing 6 months since their last raid, it’s a dichotomy of dancefloor devilment, going hard for it on one side, and running ragged emotions on the other. A-side ‘Rathe’ opens the doors of perception to a show-stopping bloom of heavenly voices and halfstep jungle, ratcheting the levels to heart-in-mouth effect with panoramic harmonies and ricochet drums that sound like a 2015 update of Windowlicker, all owing as much to Source Direct as Alice Coltrane. B-side, ‘Patchwork’ is a whole other madness. Shocking in a different style, it consolidates swirling, norish samples nodding to Italian concrète with the kind of 2-step swerve heard on Artwork’s ‘Red’ EP - proper feral, swinging business. We seen and heard it go off in the dance and can safely confirm that it’s one of the baddest joints in their now extensive catalogue...