As anticipation builds around Plastikman's forthcoming Arkives box set, Richie Hawtin sneaks up with something we weren't expecting: a new Plastikman single.
If you've heard Hawtin spin this summer, you're going to recognize Slinky as one of the highlights of his set: a blistering acid track that immediately stands out from today's standard-issue bassline techno hits. Ominous and insistent, it corkscrews deep into your brain, digging a wobbly 303 groove and hammering the point home with white-hot 909 snares. It's got all the hallmarks of classic Plastikman, from the octave-jumping acid lines to the white-knuckled, edge-of-your-seat suspense. In terms of intensity, it's right up there with "Glob" and "Spastik" - but, true to its name, it's slinkier and sexier, moving with a grinding, side-winding shuffle. It's quite a tricky business, rhythmically speaking, with unhinged triplet patterns slipping between the cracks of a stomping 4/4 beat. At several crucial points, the downbeat drops out, leaving you unmoored and bobbing dangerously out to sea.