AVN001 by Shifted

Setting the tone for much of the output to come on the label, two expertly reduced tool Techno tracks straddle a single, expansive ambient recording. Rather than submit to the kind of production overkill and fanfare often associated with the first release on a new imprint, Brewer is mean with his elements - cavernous kick drums, a single lead sequence and very little else continue the exploration of a pure, functional Techno sound first found on excellent work for Luke Slater’s Mote Evolver.

Untitled A1, the more mediative of the pair of dance floor tracks featured on the record, is pure heads down club fare - and though B2 ups the ante somewhat, with a caustic off-beat lead and marginally more developed percussive palette - it maintains the same brooding energy of the opener. The B2, however, remains the pick, worn and droning - it’s an early indicator of the kind of company Avian will keep across the coming releases.