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For their third Delicacies 12" this year, SMD take a deeper, more spaced out approach, in contrast to the strict techno of the previous two releases. "Far Away From A Distance" features hypnotic synth washes that glide slowly in and out of time with the track's rhythmic bed, stumbling over each other in a 5am haze. "Flying Or Falling" pushes into classic SMD melodies, mournful Detroit indebted warmth spilling over the groove.
Guest remixer this time is the ever excellent Lena Willikens, delivering massive club fire in the form of her own much more minimal take on 'Far Away From A Distance", stripping it back and only allowing the melody to intrude in the last third.
After a short hiatus following their modular-only, desert recorded last album 'Whorl', during which SMD's James Ford found himself on production duties for everyone and their dog, SMD are back with bunch of techno cuts on their own Delicacies label.
Over a couple of months in Jas Shaw's newly re-located synth-dense studio in leafy Kent, which saw SMD once again experiment with live jams as the basis for their production, they've pulled together a selection of eight tracks for release as a series of four singles over the coming months.
SMD fans will note that the earlier naming convention of Delicacies has fallen by the wayside - for the simple reason that we've pretty much run out of weird and wonderful food stuffs to steal names from. Instead, a semi-random automated process has been used to create the track names.

freshly repressed!
Leisure System, the collective, label and famed Berghain club night of four years standing, is back with their third release from co-founder and resident, Sam Barker. Known for its genre-defiant lineups, Leisure System's quarterly residency has consistently brought together artists with varying styles. Flying Lotus, Autechre, Afrika Hitech, Jackmaster, Surgeon, Jimmy Edgar, Blawan, 808 State, Dopplereffekt, Clark, Machinedrum, Surgeon, Venetian Snares, Objekt and Egyptian Lover have all graced the decks, showing off the collective's commitment to the exploration of new and experimental sounds in EDM. The development of the label, and now this release from Barker, is no exception. After discovering computers and raves in the late '90s, Barker began making tracks at age 13, building up a sizable collection of vintage analogue synths, paving the way for his future solo work and collaborations with artists like Tim Exile, Clark, Shitmat, Scotch Egg, The Field, Leafcutter John and Jimmy Edgar. Shortly after his 2007 move to Berlin, Barker began collaborating with fellow Berghain resident nd_baumecker, resulting in their ongoing project Barker & Baumecker. Their first EP 'Candyflip', was released on Ostgut Ton in 2010, followed up by a live show tour throughout Europe. The duo is currently readying their second EP and have a long player due out in August 2012. For this new solo EP, mastered by electronic music legend Pole, Barker presents a creative three-track lesson in diversity and highlights Leisure System's ever-evolving aural curiosity. The opener and title track 'Like An Animal' is a number that builds and builds, quickly changing course and mutating into a percussive and texturized melting pot of sounds. Up next the hypnotic 'I Feel', which is filled with moody pads and syncopated breakbeat rhythms, paving the way for the mechanical, yet smooth half-step rhythm of 'Hot Lover'. Siimilar to the collective, this offering pushes boundaries and mirrors the progressive ideals of the collective. Just like Leisure System's first two 12's from Pixelord and Eprom in 2011, Barker's 'Like An Animal' EP is a clear statement of the label's simple and distinct commitment : to be a platform for timeless, thrilling and soulful dance music in the fields of house, techno and electronica, disregarding media hype and genre borders. In keeping with this clear sonic manifesto, Leisure System's design aesthetic is equally individual, with all vinyl releases housed in deluxe die-cut jackets.