South African born, London based producer Kai van Dongen follows up two killer releases on 1O PILLS MATE and Ei8ht Records with a massive four tracker on CYBERDOME spanning lo-fi electro, gabber-influenced techno and Detroit acid. ‘Command’ gets started with the typical Cyber-aesthetic; a bruising, otherworldly electro cut that sounds like it was sampled from an intergalactic star-ship battle on a galaxy not so distant. Spooky, raw and uncompromising – classic horror synth lines creating a haunting atmosphere before its pulsating rhythm brings the listener back down to earth.
‘Losing Power’ again makes use of Kai’s knack for crafting emotionally captivating synth patterns, but this time under a lo-fi identity with hefty influence from the synthwave golden era; neon shapes and patterns blooming in the night as we continue our journey into darkness.
What sounds like an angry swarm of bees approaches on ‘Body Moving’ – a track title fit for purpose. Face-melting, brain-spinning techno creates a dark, psychedelic environment where sweat drips from the ceiling and faces react with a blend of euphoria and disgust, before we head to the Motor City on ‘Breathe’ – a cut of acid techno-electro that borrows from the icons of the past for a typically punchy and raw experience.