[Glum]

English producer Lukid is best known for his wonky beats material on Werk Discs, with three albums, an EP, and a few scattered odds and ends to his name. In November, the producer minted his own Glum imprint with the release of Boxing Club/Blind Spot. Its two tracks maintain his crisp production values and asymmetrical, minimalist structures, while simultaneously marking his first foray into what might loosely be termed as techno.

“Boxing Club” and “Blind Spot” are rhythm tracks in the way that Actress and Steve Poindexter make rhythm tracks — repetitive compositions in which all sounds swirl around unstable, tripping drums. Hypnogogia (as in hypnogogic pop) is probably an overused term at this point, but these tracks bear many of its calling cards. The cluster of uncanny tones and clipped vocals that make up the “body” of “Boxing Club” remain indecipherable after repeated plays, yet there’s a definite hook in there somewhere. Moreover, the tape hiss and bleary synthesizer clouds on “Blind Spot” bear a fair resemblance to James Ferraro’s drone work; the latter is in constant, albeit languid flux, abruptly cut off at its peaks and then allowed to rise again. In the last minute, the drone begins to oscillate around the fading rhythm, as the drums are squashed into daubs of bass. This spontaneous conclusion (and indeed, “Boxing Club” also closes in a rush) suggests the tracks have been extracted from longer live jams — Jochem Peteri’s extended sessions especially come to mind. Like that producer’s work, these tracks are snapshots of mesmeric grooves that could go on indefinitely, and show a promisingly unfettered new angle from Lukid.