Single Of The Week: 1700 Monkey Ninjas – Ahb Seshun
On “Ahb Seshun”, our favorite evil primate assassins fuse sparkling house & sparking techno, stomping martial industrialism & whacked-out sound design.
Ed Purchla has a lot of ideas. He’s a digital artist, a playwright, a businessman, and a fairly prolific electronic artist, releasing a handful of singles and about to drop his second record in just a few years.
This prolific proliferation of ideas can be seen in microcosm in “Ahb Seshun”, which begins with some trancey acid synths, a bouncing nearly tropical house groove and glitched-out skewed vocals, asking like a detuned GPS “Why are you so obsessed with her?”
Then the beat drops, and all attempts at critical analysis go straight out yr brain, as 1700 Monkey Ninja’s beats are strong, sturdy, pummeling in all the right ways, hurtling you forward like a crash test dummy at a wall.
The crazy preponderance of ideas and styles would have had “Ahb Seshun” filed under “breakcore” a few years ago, but that’s not entirely apt. Breakcore was like the grindcore/speed metal of the electronic music world. Breakcore’s intent was to be abrasive and confrontational. It’s a sonic ice pick, a dentist drill in the ear (and yes, that can be a compliment at times).
But “Ahb Seshun” is more stitched together, more cohesive. It’s got the howitzer strength of hardcore/gabber/industrial techno, mixed with bouncing, playful rhythms, and crazy interesting sound design.
With the recent resurgence of interest in Aphex Twin & Venetian Snares, and the continuing knackered house trend, combined with a hyper leap forward in Ed Purchla’s production and mastering abilities, the scrying ball indicates 1700 Monkey Ninjas’ time has come.
If anyone dug that Heathered Pearls record i posted about a few weeks ago, you’ll like this, as will any fans of the ferric grooves of Opal Tapes.
“Ahb Seshun” is the lead single off of the forthcoming Know That Music Is My Lifeblood, which bodes impressive things. Get on board.
Get “Ahb Seshun” at beatport.
