HERMIT IN A RAVE CAVE レコード& CD

Review: Hermit in a Rave Cave is one of some 30-odd alases for prolific Dutch studio nerd Legowelt. He debuted the project in 2022 and after a fine first EP, he follows it up with a second superb self-titled effort on the ever-excellent Clone Jack For Daze. As always with Legowelt, this is machine-made music with real soul and nice dusty aesthetics. It kicks off with some deep, Detroit tinged techno bleeps, more gritty and muggy lo-fi drum track 'Central Meekness' they the glistening cosmic melodies of 'Digitize Your Daydream' sink you into a wormhole. There's a terminator feel to the retro-future sounds of 'Do You Look Like Me', subtle uplift to the trance chords of 'Flow Network Ooze' and pure star gazing bliss on deep house jam 'Whisking A Dream With Satans Trident'. This is some of his best work in years.

Review: Last time we checked, Danny 'Legowelt' Wolfers had clocked up an incredible 42 different recording aliases over the years. Now he's christened another, Hermit in a Rave Cave, for the first in an ongoing series of EPs for Clone's Jack For Daze offshoot. There's much to admire amongst the six analogue-rich, hardware-heavy jams on show, from the syn-tom heavy, acid-fired bubble of 'Alive With Darkling Things That Fly', and the endearingly wonky, lo-fi sweetness of 'Sentimental Proverb', to the rubbery, intergalactic techno stomp of 'Life & Ride', to the all action, electro-not-electro shimmer of 'The Space Gamer'. The most potent club workout, though, is arguably closing cut 'Sorrow Dust', where a foreboding, new beat-influenced synth motif dances atop a dense, sub-heavy techno beat.