Skudge

Although not as anonymous as they were in late 2009 when their first releases began to appear, Skudge still aim to keep a low profile. They like to let their music – and the connoisseur fans of it from Berghain DJs to Resident Advisor critics – do the talking. So far it's been released on their own vinyl label, Skudge Records, and speaks of an appreciation of analogue, an understanding of rhythm and a passion for economical house and techno.
The duality of their music is what marks them out: it's built on simple, solid loops but is alive with a devilish attention to detail. Rather than breaking any given rules, they instead re-interpret those with which we are all familiar into something new and engaging that fits nicely onto the shelves of tastemaker record stores like Hardwax.

The Swedish pair initially met through a cousin, swapped mail addresses and a few tracks before agreeing that they shared a common taste in electronic music. Fast forward to now, and following the release of a string of well received singles and EPs (including 'Convolution' which turned out to be an underground hit) the pair has been remixed by the likes of Marcel Fengler, Aardvarck and 2562. Outside of the studio, too, they have impressed, taking their live show to a number of clubs and festivals (including Fabric, Berghain and more) across Europe.

April 2011, though, marks their biggest step to date – the release of a debut full length, Phantom. It's an album of bold, dancefloor optimised forms that deal in dusty warehouse vibes and cavernous chambers of grainy sounds. Often there are traces of trippy sonic colour; firm and infectious grooves or cloaks of filter, echo and reverb, but always is it imbued with exactly the richness you'd expect of analogue produced sounds.

With support pouring in from peers and punters alike, Skudge are a duo only likely to attract more and more attention once their Phantom is out in the open: though they wouldn't have it that way, the music is just too good to ignore.