- Pom Pom has been doing the anonymous thing long before acts like Prince Of Denmark made it seem glamorous. The project has steadily self-released pitch-black techno in pitch-black sleeves—almost 40 records since 2001—but there's more to it than mystery. Pom Pom's music tends to be rich even when it's minimalistic, carefully using reverb, off-piste drum programming and digital processing to make techno that crosses over into electro and house. But cracks appear in the armour with Pom Pom's first Ostgut Ton EP, which emphasizes the project's clubbiness at the expense of its more bewitching qualities.
The first track bodes well. It sounds like techno sculpted from signal interference, channeling some of the weirder moments in Pom Pom's catalogue. Things go sideways elsewhere. The kick drum on "Untitled 3" is distractingly out of step with everything else, while the distortion on "Untitled 4"—not to mention the hissing hi-hats—registers like a haphazard facsimile of Pom Pom's most idiosyncratic touches. Thankfully there's "Untitled 2," a monumentally heavy techno track made with sleight of hand. It's noisy but subtle, full of interesting textures and bits of speech that create a psychedelic mood. Pair that with the ominous but aloof closing ambient tune and we get a glimpse at the strength of those past Pom Pom records.
トラックリストA1 Untitled
A2 Untitled
B1 Untitled
B2 Untitled
B3 Untitled