Incidentally, another late-night music search somehow brought me to the dives of the Russian motherland as I experienced a new single from Maxim Ferception, under the Negative Sound Recordings label. According to their Soundcloud bio, Negative Sound was founded in 2011 with a group of DJs and musicians from Perm, Russia, fully embracing the drum & bass genre with all its diversity. Under the moniker of single moniker of Ferception, Maxim released the incredibly dark and rhythmically unsuspecting “Death Note” to global audiences.
Whether it pertains to the massively popular manga of the same name is unspoken, but “Death Note” as a lead single holds plenty of dank twist and turns within its technical stylings. Like in our previous entry on SLK’s “Impulse” single, “Death Note” contains certain elements making it instantly synonymous with other tracks from our friends in the east. Instead of relying on common percussion patterns found in western D+B, Ferception’s approach to the breakdown stays faithful to the beat but twists the execution. Among the synths making their presence known between measures of percussion, the beat found within the breakdowns finds itself most comfortable within the abstract.
Almost like a reaction worthy of Tippi Hedren in The Birds, “squealing” samples reminiscent of the metal genre paint the instrumental picture more foreboding than before. The simple piano riff does calm the energy of the track temporarily, but the true focus is highlighted by the intense percussion and synth executions found in the breakdown. Maybe those used to brighter styles might reel at the unconventional nature of the breakdown, but anyone who embraces the dark shadows will appreciate the high energy and nods to certain genres of noise. “Death Note” certainly has a future within the mix of dark warehouse parties and the artistic underground.
