Although they have only been performing together under the Whyt Noyz moniker for about four years, lifelong friends and fellow producers Duncan Murray and David Sidley have managed to garner some serious respect among artists and fans alike for their unique and innovative sound. All you have to do is visit their SoundCloud and it’s easy to understand why; coupling live percussion and soulful, stand out vocals against a backdrop of brawny, visceral techno grooves and rhythm patterns, the NOYZ label bosses have unsurprisingly continued to catch the eye of pioneers in the scene such as Dubfire, Kaiserdisco and Richie Hawtin, who has signed their most recent EP, “It Grows,” to his acclaimed Minus imprint.
It seems like a perfectly natural partnership – tightly constructed in terms of its production and decidedly moody in regards to its sound, the EP definitely comes across like something that would be right up Hawtin’s alley. That isn’t saying, however, that it sounds like a Hawtin production. In fact, one of the most redeeming qualities of the EP is its originality and the departure it represents from the traditional European techno sound. While the boys keep the overall tone dark in the follow up to their last EP, the wildly successful “Dope She,” there is a beautiful and unexpected emphasis on the melodic offered by this more recent body of work.
“When we started the Whyt Noyz project, the sound actually leaned more towards a melodic style, inspired by the likes of Booka Shade and Trentemøeller. As [Whyt Noyz] progressed the sound developed… we rediscovered our love for dark and driving techno and we haven’t looked back since,” says Murray. “Most recently we started to become inspired by lots of great new music being released by labels such as Minus and Drumcode and artists like Recondite and Oliver Huntemann that combine both the driving sounds we love, but also with dark and twisted melodies coming through.”
The first single off the EP, “Jingles,” sets a sequence of precise arpeggios against a warm and fluid analog low-end. Murray and Sidley keep the beat fast paced and constant, giving the tune’s deep house inspired grooves a more clubby edge.
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“Less Is Mo” carries a more brooding tone, bringing in an eclectic assortment of instrumentals to create a sort of disparate harmony with the tune’s metallic synths. “One Two Four,” on the other hand, catapults listeners onto a trippy, meandering sonic journey with a bass line that ebbs and flows while the FX pulses like an otherworldly heart beat.
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Cold, stripped back and cerebral, “Closure” takes us to the big room with its large and echoing sound. It sets the stage up perfectly for the EP’s closing track, “Yes Private,” which brings us back once again to the dancefloor and finishes the journey strong with some brawny sub bass and a surge of aggressive synth work.
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“A constant pushing and pulling of sounds and techniques manifested itself into this EP. It is one that we are especially proud of and glad it is being so well received,” says Sidley. “The musical direction leans slightly toward the more melodic side, which is the best of both worlds for us – a space where you can lose your head and go mental to chunky rhythm, yet still be held together by something musical. We are interested to see how far the Whyt Noyz sound will progress and develop!”
Hypnotizing, different and irresistibly infectious, “It Grows” gets a four out of five stars in my opinion. You can purchase the full album on Beatport delivered by Label Worx on behalf of Minus here. ★★★★✩
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