Following the 2017 release of their debut album The Signs Within on Tronic, Tokyo based double act Drunken Kong will once again make a return to the Christian Smith owned imprint, this time for their second long player. Titled Where We Start, the 16-track record combines everything from roaring techno on ‘Certain Reason’, break beat on ‘This Is’, drum-free ambiences on ‘See You Again’ and ‘Arrival’, dub techno on ‘Flex’, and some tracks such as ‘The Tree’ even display subtle influences of
progressive and tech trance. Tronic is just one label on an impressive list of Drunken Kong’s past outings, with Octopus, Stil Vor Talent and Terminal M also amongst their previous releases. The Japanese pair have relentlessly developed their production skills to a point that now see’s them as one of the leading forces amongst Tokyo’s club scene, a well earned position they will no doubt want to take full advantage of. Three of tracks include collaborations, with Mainz-based Teenage Mutants working on two separate tracks, and label owner Christian Smith offering his own experience for one. When discussing the album, Drunken Kong commented “Where We Start was built around an idea and inspiration that came from our new stage in life, which was parenting. Having a child, was something new to us and we wanted to create an album which directly reflected and captured various feelings and emotions we had at different moments”.
Where to start:
‘Flex’ – Minimally built dub techno rhythms
‘Certain Reason’ – Roaring basslines combine with huge drum hits
‘The Tree’ – Trance infused techno lights the room with bright melodies
Previous from Drunken Kong:
The Signs Within LP (2017, Tronic)
How Far Do We Go EP (2018, Terminal M)
If you like this then check out:
2pole – 1ne LP (2019, Tronic)
Layton Giordani – Where It Begins LP (2017, Drumcode)
Drunken Kong’s Where We Start LP is out now on Tronic.