Short and Quick - November 2025

As I've taken an interest in DJ'ing as a hobby recently, I've been exploring different genres of dance music looking for material, and as a result I've brought two records that I discovered during those excursions and one other record that I recently managed to get my hands on for my first, proper, listen. Due to these excursions, and other life commitments, I was not able to finish the black metal article I talked about in last month's entry, but that one will come out at some point. So, without further ado, let's get to some music!

Drowner Yellow Swans - Drowner Yellow Swans

Noise Drone

Post-Rock 

I recently managed to acquire a vinyl copy of this record after looking for one of another Yellow Swans record, Going Places, for a while. For me, physical copies of Yellow Swans records always had a very mysterious feeling, despite them, as far as I can tell, not being much rarer than physical releases of other noise recordings. Naturally, I was quite excited to get my hands on this record.

When I pressed play, I was met with Sandwall, a track overwhelming the listener with its heavy, guitar based drones. It immediately sets the tone for the record, feeling bleak, cold, depressive and meditative. The whole record feels almost like you're being frozen in place, the intensity of the drones becoming not only a mental, but also a physical experience. The record almost forces you to sit still or lie down, putting weight on your body as you listen to the drones unfold. If you listen to this with headphones at a high enough volume, you may really feel like your body is being dipped into a body of cold water, as the name Drowner suggests. 

 

If you're looking for an intense drone record that will overwhelm your senses, you should definitely give this a listen.

Monolake - Hongkong

 Minimal Techno Ambient Techno Dub Techno

Hongkong is absolutely beautiful. When I first listened to it it really reminded me of Acid Mt. Fuji, one of the first ambient techno records that I ever listened to. While there is obviously a ton of differences , sonically, between these two records, they share a similar theme of taking you on a journey. As the monotone, minimal bass lulls you into a state of hypnosis, synths drift in and out, while samples of birds, rain, and people's voices can be heard in the distance. You travel from the forest, into the city, to the shoreline where you sit in the sand watching the waves crash on the beach. Afterwards, you explore the city's marketplace before you get onto the railway. 

This all happens before you even realize it, since the flow state this record puts you in just happens so naturally. As it should be with a good ambient record.

DJ Speedsick - Nothing Lasts 

Industrial Techno Industrial Hardcore

Power Noise Acid Techno

Nothing Lasts is the kind of industrial techno that ventures away from the typical, ambient techno-esque, hypnotic approach of a lot of acts. Instead, it is heavily informed by power noise, and I would argue sometimes borders on being straight power noise. Just roughly 40 minutes of brutal noise, stacked on top of some of the most crunchy bass lines imaginable. If Vatican Shadow sounds like being stuck in an empty factory building at night, Nothing Lasts sounds like being a worker at that factory while it's collapsing around you. It's energizing and oppressive at the same time. The machines are stomping away around you, but you can barely make out the rhythm while through the noise of your surroundings.  

𝑺𝑬𝑬 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑺𝑷𝑨𝑪𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑾𝑩𝑶𝒀...