Death Pony Express is the opening track on Toronto’s R10T’s Digital R10T EP, and what listeners will immediately take from this track is that vocals are not required when attempting to tell a story. The rich narrative that is weaved through samples/arrangements in unparalleled. Hints of Plastikman, Prodigy, and “Pretty Hate Machine”-era Nine Inch Nails represent the bedrock upon which R10T creates his music. The dynamic sound of this opening salvo will have listeners on the edges of their seats. While some of the sections of Death Pony Express seemingly come from left field, the deft hand of R10T here makes the resulting effort cohesive as all get out.
Enabler comes from a more sedate space, working from an Underworld and Fatboy Slim tradition; as the effort continues to warm, hints of “Around the World”-era Daft Punk can be discerned. The track further fleshes out who R10T is through a wide spectrum of sounds and influences, inserting a funky, heavy bass groove into the mix. While the composition cuts out before the four minute mark, the sheer depth of the effort ensures that listeners can spin the track a number of times before hearing every twist and turn that has been inserted within. Banshee is the height of complexity on the Digital R10T EP; the different time signatures existing here threaten to tear the track apart. It is only through careful caressing of these disparate efforts that the song emerges resurgent.
The Space Inside concludes this mini-album, presenting listeners with a swirling mass of guitar-like fuzz. This atmospheric darkness provides just enough of an industrial tinge to elicit visions of a dimly-lit city block. The insistent beat that drives the track provides not an end, but a sense that life continues on at all points.
Top Tracks: Death Pony Express, The Space Inside
Rating: 8.0/10
R10T – Digital R10T EP Review / 2015 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.r10tproject.com/ / https://www.facebook.com/R10Tproject / https://soundcloud.com/riot01