Low Limit vs. Lando Kal - The Golden Handshake EP (nmbrs1)

Posted on 24. Mar, 2010 by DoktorKrank Tag: lando kal, lazer sword, low limit, Music Reviews

LOW LIMIT vs. LANDO KAL - THE GOLDEN HANDSHAKE EP (NMBRS1)
BEST EP OF THE YEAR - 1O OUT OF 10***
(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY DOKTOR KRANK)


Gender-crushing crew of cult live performers from Lazer Sword i.e. Lando Kal and Low Limit has recently dropped a cluster bomb of deconstructed sonic mayhem which will create havoc on any dancefloor from Paris to New York and L.A. Their music is about party and rave, about breaking the necks, setting bodies on fire in a digital dancefloor bonanza of purity-defying electro lazer assualt. This may sound bombastic, but for me Lazer Sword epitomizes the future of EDM, where hip hop swagger meets post-disco and funky beat, while all end up in a heavy-bass soup spiced up with tons of crunky synths, sick samples, ear-catching cut-ups, bleeps, beeps and whatnot. Anyone who had a chance to see their performance will immediately know what I mean. I had a pleasure to experience the power of lazers live and this was the best show I've seen in my 20+ years of partygoing. The pure, ecstatic energy released from electronic machines by the two wizards, transformed into the heat and sweat of the dancers, could have provided enough electricity for a week in a decent-size town.

Numbers uber-label from Glasgow, formed out of Wireblock, Stuff Records, and Dress 2 Sweat, hits a real jackpot with the numero uno release of the Lando Kal vs. Low Limit split EP - The Golden Handshake. There is a lot of buzz in the blogosphere and well-deserved enthusiastic reviews from important mags and DJ's. It has climbed up to No.6 on the download charts on Bleep.com. I am not surprised at all, at all. The double-feature shows the talents of artists who have their own, different styles which they perfectly blend when performing as a joint force of Lazer Sword. On this EP, Lando Kal appears more as 'an electro boy' while Low Limit shows inclinations towards 'a hip hop dude' (or is it the other way round?). Like in a big melting pot they mix and doconstruct so many elements that writing about their music will always be a futile attempt and not more than a poor-quality facsimile of the actual object of description. But, pardon my obvious shortcomings and omissions, I'll try.


Starting from L-l-l-l-andoooo Kal. 3D Action Jackson is a busting rollercoaster of twisted disco sound building up to bubbling electro beat basked in neon synths and cut-up crunky bleeps. THE BANGER of the release and blap of the future par excellence. Fuzzy Ankles  unleash the same power but to the acompaniment of a slo-mo drums, riding on sick synths and distorted funky vocals, making my neck hurt like hell from a serious art of head-nodding.  The most wonky and spaced out tune in Lando Kal's pack - Exotic Jesus  - boasts the almighty melody and sinister keyboard loops in a kind of cold and detached manifestation of the 21st century cult of hedonism. I wonder what would Jesus say listening to such a 'heavenly' music. Low Limit side of this split coin is equally epic. He sports the fully loaded guns in Where You Been 7.5 ensuring the absolute rave mayhem with his pumping, slo-mo techno madness. To be tested on dancefloors with whirling bodies around, hardly visible through the mandatory smoke like in the hay days of the oldschool parties, with beautiful afterimages being painted in front of your acid-laden eyes. I may be sentimental old fart but this tune is the highlight of the entire release for me. RAVE ON! I've heard Trapperkeeper before and it has never ceased to amaze me. Crunked to the max, super low subs and layers upon layers of bleeps, twisted knobs, vocal samples and nightmarish synths create a very dark, raw and masculine atmosphere. I greet my teeth and clench my fists, my neck and bowels hate me, yet my mind has a totally discrepant opinion on that matter, wallowing in the unique emotions like a junky screaming for more. Where You Been 7.0 is another surefire dancefloor bomb, a notch darker than  ver. 7.5 but equally powerful and haunting; a 4 a.m. banger ready to arouse the bodies tired after night-long excess to the last final extatic peak experience. Oh boy, this EP is simply too good! Digital package also includes Out the Club, the tune you may have heard in a classic Mary Anne Hobbs' show on BBC 1. Check an excerpt on Low Limit's soundcloud. SICKNESS! 


OUT THE CLUB ON MARY ANNE HOBBS BBC RADIO 1 by LOW LIMIT

All in all, The Golden Handshake EP is a must. Best release this year so far. I do not recommend, I  simply demand you make a nice little present for your mind and body, not only to support the artists who created such a fantastic piece of art, but to experience pure hedonistic pleasure when communing with it. Can't wait to hear more golden nuggets coming from the Numbers camp.

The release is available in the following stores on wax and in digital format


Lando Kal and Low Limit - The Golden Handshake EP (digital) Bleep


Lando Kal and Low Limit - The Golden Handshake EP (digital) Juno


Lando Kal and Low Limit - The Golden Handshake EP (vinyl) Boomkat