The first release on Lydo's own X-TRA.SERVICES imprint, 'Hand of God’ is a blistering, dancefloor-ready set that examines the logic of techno from a fresh perspective. It's the New York City-based artist’s debut, pairing them with veteran producer and fellow NYC resident Tomás Urquieta who's best known for his run of influential EPs and albums for labels like Tra Tra Trax and Seilscheibenpfeiler. Over four powerful tracks, the two offer their own spin on peak-time minimal sounds, infusing booming 4/4 kicks with subtle syncopations and deft experimental sound design.
Starting out as a practical gear brand, X-TRA.SERVICES quickly evolved into a party series, where Lydo welcomes a diverse crowd to hear underground, contemporary sounds often overlooked in the NYC landscape. As a label, X-TRA picks up where the party leaves off, expanding its musical and cultural footprint and uplifting the community's most vital underground talent. And with a residency at the city's notorious BASEMENT, Lydo brings a trained ear to their production and curation, highlighting the vast space techno has to spiral into unexpected geometries.
The EP begins with 'Pioneer Spirit', dissolving cybernetic wheezes into barely-discernible rhythms and metallic crunches. But the title track cuts through the noise with sublime clarity, interrupting precisely-engineered kicks with minuscule zaps that keep the momentum firmly focused on the feet. Dreamy neo-trance synths lend 'Hand of God' its beating heart, keeping the contemporary techno scene's stifling nihilism far at bay with its celestial charm. More than just a DJ tool, 'Overture' propels its thudding kicks with Urquieta and Lydo's dizzying sonics, and closing track 'Coil' spices the mix with the kind of slithering low-end rumble you'd expect to hear echoing from the backroom of a sweaty nightspot.
Mixed by Lydo Le, Tomás Urquieta
Mastered by Nikolaj Jakobsen at Soundstuff Studio
Distributed by EPM Music
Artwork by Erik Carter
