A year after his EP MODULAR WITCHCRAFT, WIKAN serves up a fresh four tracker – MONOLITHS.

It’s the first half of his Cross Half series. Not sure when the 2nd half is due for release, we’ll have to wait and see.

Operating in that murk ridden grave wave style that can be so very easily hit or miss, thankfully, WIKAN is reliably on the hit side with MONOLITHS and it continues well the sonic footprint left by last year’s MODULAR WITCHCRAFT EP.

You’ve got the sludge like grind of the beats with rising, in lesser hands cheesy but not quite synth stabs peaks of opener Gucci Bitches with a vocal sample of the same naming effectively giving that dancefloor hook whilst not compromising on a dark beat effort which takes its murkstep further into the dark with an ever present light at the end of the tunnel. This is what good witchhouse can sound like.

Title track Monoliths hits next. A slower pace is set. Ethereal drone and wide edged synthing flowing above and beyond. A proper enveloping headspace, so much so, approach with caution on headphones. Very easy to get lost in the slow beat space. It’s a track I keep returning to.

MAGE rolls in with bassy kicks and snares and locks itself tight into a loop groove. Functionally simple.

Final of the four; Two Evils returns to the slow and deep with an end of the night slow dance with an increasing sense of hope and optimism.

Call this style of music what you will. Be that witch house, grave wave, drag, okkult and so forth, this EP is another tidy addition from WIKAN aka Duke Spook aka Fatty Ghettoblaster aka File With Interpol aka Tony Stone. Altogether one rather talented and diverse musician who hails from Sheffield and can add another successful notch on his musical bedpost.

Available through WIKAN direct on a pay what you want pricing structure.

WIKAN – MONOLITHS EP
GRAB

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WIKAN – Gucci Bitches
WIKAN – Monoliths
WIKAN – MAGE
WIKAN – Two Evils
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