Locked Groove (Antwerp-based Tim Van de Meutter) first came to wider attention with his 2012 début EP – Keep It Simple. With releases throughout the house and techno spectrum on Turbo, Hotflush (3 times) and his own Locked Groove Records since, he places himself as floating between Berghain and Chicago – melodically speaking.

Thesseus, his new EP on Permanent Vacation, definitely falls towards the latter end of that equation. With a detour via Detroit.

The title track, a nine minute epic, is full of gradual shifts. A gorgeous pad occasionally interrupted by a brief stab which suspends itself before it has the chance to resolve, lending an air of tension to the track and preventing it from going too far. Certainly a warm up track rather than a 3am banger, but, with enough to keep going.

Track 2, Meditations in an Emergency, maintains the feel. Moving away from the steady dub-techno kick of the opener to a more traditional groove, and yet continuing the tense feel. Bringing in a wonderfully echoed synth line halfway through.

However, the closer, a remix by Italian producer Clockwork brings it up a notch. Bringing in a beautifully crunchy, steppy breakbeat over a repeating 3-note melody, the track becomes much more dancefloor friendly.. And yet, never tipping over from tension into aggro.

Thesseus is released September 23rd on Permanent Vacation
PERMVAC 125-1