Hewn from the lineage of 1980s EBM, Semantix’s “Caustic Motion” EP is a severe lesson in crunchy basslines and relentless beats from start to finish. The Dallas-based producer is known for his specific style of EBM, the kind that provokes head banging and fist swinging, will release his first SYNTHICIDE EP to coincide with the label and party’s tenth anniversary. Caustic Motion begins with “Facelift,” a track that festers in brutality: much like the cogs on a perpetually moving machine, it barrels into the bleak void. “Caustic Motion” writhes in aggression—its bassline a strict, unwavering force—while “Bootlicker” seemingly foams at the mouth, possessed by a debauched fury that cannot be restrained.
Side B begins with “Dopamine” that nods to the EBM genre’s progenitors Front Line Assembly, Leæther Strip and, more recently, the revivalist sounds of Sarin. The track simmers before ricocheting into a cataclysm of barbaric, grinding basslines. The slick agility of rising scene superstar, Alen Skanner, transforms “Dopamine” into a club ready EBM remix that builds and crashes in monumental waves. Finally, Spike Hellis’ remix of “Caustic Motion” pulls back the reins and adds a danceable, electro-tinged groove to the beat. Though it still possesses the chugging rhythm Semantix has coined, the atmospheric noise and running high hats add an icy coolness to the track’s swing.
“Caustic Motion” takes no time for pause—it’s about precision and control. The EP is not for the faint of heart but, in fact, the opposite: those calloused and broken. Those who are searching but have not yet found.
