New Reality

On his stunning debut for Trickfinger and Aura T-09's Evar Records, Edmonton producer Text Chunk explores a next-level synthesis of jungle, techno, footwork and IDM ambience. __

Text Chunk - New Reality EP (EVAR Records) Fresh off collaborations with Skee Mask and Sangam and cult releases on his own label, Kudatah, and Infinite Drift, Text Chunk storms into the heady, high-tempo EVAR fold. After connecting with EVAR co-founder Aura T-09, Text Cunk delivered a folder of 50+ club constructions made in the midst of a deep study of regional dance variants spanning from Teklife to dembow. The New Reality EP comprises three solo tracks and two collaborations with longtime collaborator Sven K. The five cuts comprise essential modern jungle, melding intricate breakbeat work with inventive sample manipulation and high-tech ambience—the are next-level tracks from the unlikely locale of Edmonton. From the start, there's no messing about. The title cut, "New Reality," comes out swinging with multiple percussive motifs, vaporwave melodies and chopped-up samples all adding up to an atmospheric jungle masterclass. "Flow," meanwhile, mixes Hoover-style bass and breakbeats with lush piano-infused ambience. The 88 keys are still in effect on the blistering "Nani," on which rowdy amen breaks make room for a wistful piano refrain. Text Chunk, real name Brandon Smith, first linked up with Sven K nearly a decade ago. At the time, Smith was a teenager with a voracious, internet-aided musical appetite who had recently started making his own tracks. He dug Sven's tracks and hit him up on SoundCloud. They quickly realized they were neighbors, rare appreciators of avant-garde club music in Alberta. They'd launch a label, Kudatah, with another friend, Carter Booth, that would serve as an outlet for their homegrown creativity while establishing important inroads with a global network of genre-agnostic producers. This deep connection is palpable on a pair of collaborative cuts with Sven K that appear here. "Clang" begins with a noirish arpeggios before dropping into a 160-BPM drum workout, sounding like John Carpenter if he was obsessed w/ '90s pirate radio. "I-9 Hittaz," meanwhile, ups the ante even further, pushing to a blistering 190 BPM. Even still, the track maintains a floating ambience, maintaining the dart and glide style that is the sonic signature of the Kudatah braintrust. The end credits roll with "D5," a solo Text Chunk track that leans further into second-wave Detroit/B12-style melodic techno than the previous cuts. With stately synth and piano, Smith reveals his considerable talents with classic melody. Across New Reality, Text Chunk works through hypermodern and classic influences that serve as tributaries towards a new sound, a next-level synthesis of jungle, techno, footwork and IDM ambience. "I think the main goal is to tap into a little bit of everything," Text Chunk says. "All sorts of genres and influences, from gabbber to ambient to IDM. I want to craft these influences into a cohesive package and expand on what I know."