After a short break, All Centre returns with an EP from rising New York-based artist Sister Zo, Arcana. Following last year’s stellar EPs on Scuffed and 3024, Sister Zo debuts on the label with four bass-charged percussive club cuts.
The Hanged One kicks off the record showcasing Sister Zo’s precise percussive workings. Stepping half-time percussion punctuated by clicking rim shots lays the foundation. A tense, metallic chord progression rises throughout the track whilst a recurrent bassline oscillates between the rhythms.
The Tower picks up the pace with caustic melodic percussion darting around a booming, broken kick pattern. A pitched-down vocal snippet surfaces above the track’s rumbling bassline, which reaches a fever pitch in the detuned madness of the closing section.
The Fool opens with chiming cymbals and atmospheric pads bubbling beneath oscillating basses. The track is then driven forward by thundering claps and scrambled vocals. Later, an ascending, siren-like synth ramps up the tension before throwing us back into a heady percussive section, closed out with rough breaks.
Sister Zo ends the EP with The Devil. A tense, haunting string melody sets the atmosphere above dubstep-adjacent percussive patterns, gradually building until an alien vocal snippet gives way to heavy bassweight. The track thunders forward, closing the EP with an arresting percussive workout.
Arcana is available across all digital platforms on the 28th April.
credits
released April 28, 2023
Written & Produced by Sister Zo
Artwork by Bette Blanchard
Mastered by DJ Pitch
From despair and grief to optimism, the subdued electronic compositions on the latest from Opus form a moving narrative. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 3, 2023
All the tracks are great but Stepper is the standout for me! pounding syncopated kicks, rolling handdrums and playful sample work, dancefloor destroyer. Jack G.