out now: Maedon - 2.0 [Rant & Rave Records]

Artist:
Maedon

Title:
2.0

Label:
Rant & Rave Records

Cat#:
RAR008

Release Date:
22nd November 2024

Format:
vinyl, download & streaming

Tracklist:
A1.
Working Out The Kinks

A2.
Temporal

B1.
Growing Pains

B2.
Breakthrough

Press Info:
About The EP
Following 5 years in Berlin, two albums and a continuing residency at Tresor all bringing acclaim, Maedon is now an established voice and one also in transition. The 8th release for her own Rant & Rave label announces this in its title, 2.0, and its sound, a bold move away from her industrial roots towards the groove-laden techno that earned her bones im Keller. The product of careful study of techno’s roots and evolution, this gradual process reaps rewards here, showcasing a bracing new direction for an already-accomplished artist.

‘Working Out the Kinks’ leads off, more a kinky workout than the work-in-progress its title suggests. A vocal sample and rugged groove initially brings an old school feel, something quickly offset by strikingly modern production details. The EPs middle stride, ‘Temporal’ and ‘Growing Pains’, attacks heads-down techno head on with style to spare. On the former, growling lows and rotating pads are gradually joined by a symphony of sonic detritus, with razor sharp drums slicing through the murk. A bouncing bassline and blink-and-miss fills on the latter hammer the rhythm onwards, surrounded by reduced industrial elements and grimy ambiance. ‘Breakthrough’ does exactly that, it’s uneasily modulating lead and bruising EBM bass buffeted by waves of percussion then jackhammering to a climax confirming Maedon’s 2nd coming.

About The Artist
Struggle often creates stronger art, and for Maeghan Donovan, the artist known
as Maedon, this certainly rings true. Splitting her time between grimy Baltimore
and filthy Philly while learning her craft, her 2018 arrival in NYC confirmed her
emergence into the scene, debuting on Brooklyn/Berlin techno powerhouse Sonic
Groove. A longtime student of industrial and wave music, combining this with the
tough techno pioneered by this NYC institution brought her to new breakthroughs
and an international audience.

Three years later, Maeghan forges ahead to the next phase of her career following a well-received collaborative full-length with Adam X as Maedon-X on the legendary Tresor that confirmed her voice with finessed production and raw, autobiographical and political content. In 2023, she launched her Rant & Rave imprint seeking to platform female artists alongside established and new voices and refocus her sound on artistic techno, a move solidified by her continuing residency at Tresor. Assuring her future as the world falls apart, Maedon’s bracing sound and undeniable skills are a story still unfolding with its beginnings written in grit.

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