Akov - Shapeshifter EP (Eatbrain)

LISTEN NOW >>>> 
https://soundcloud.com/akovmusic/sets/eatbrain-048-akov-shapeshifter
He fled without words from his workplace, the other labourers around glancing quickly up at their fellow worker tearing across the derelict site of their toil. Ducking between the scaffolds, his hands clawing wretchedly at his heavy form, as his insides churned and wave after wave of pure violence washed through him. He found the entrance, gasping with relief and pain, before dropping swiftly into the cave beneath the foundation and falling starkly into the dim blackness of the tunnels below. Writhing on the cold stone ground, he felt it ripping through his back and up the side of his face, his eyes glazing then filling with the fire of a pure primal energy as he arched his head back and let out a tearing sound of unleashed psychic tearing and the breaking of his mind. It had him in its grasp, claws ripping through his hands - its presence overtaking him and unveiling his true SHAPESHIFTER nature.

AKOV follows up his recent initial foray on the label with a solid step into the EATBRAIN fold in the form of the SHAPESHIFTER EP. Comprising 4 tracks of exquisitely dynamic neurofunk and experimental beats that dares to dive between tempos and deliver an entirely fresh take on the genre. From the outset with title track SHAPESHIFTER, a curve ball hits swift, as a straight intro leads into a drop that stretches reality and deviates between spacious reese action and busy percussion, before heavily reglitching itself into a deliciously wonky form. ABRAXAS leads a more epic path with a shimmering, beautiful intro infused with ethnic aesthetics that gives way to an entirely punishing machinegun drop that only pauses to reload and issue a heavy staccato bass cannon. With GAMES WITH GOD featuring THE CLAMPS, the metallic nature of the drums edges up a notch and the vibe leans toward a more sinister but rolling edge. FIRST CONTACT turns the tempo way down to 128 but elevates the attitude to a new level, delivering a chugging and brutish stepper of a tune that carries its neuro core effectively to the vein.

The range of ideas within the Shapeshifter EP serves as a technical breath of fresh air to a genre that's build on the concept of progression and experimentation. Akov delivers the manifesto of an artist intent on pushing the sound further, delivered on a label at the forefront of futuristic d&b.