After dropping two comprehensive compilations that painted a very clear picture of its forward-thinking vision of electronic music, Mexico City imprint Lissajous finally put out its first full-fledged release. Now, Alan Aguilar, the Mexican producer known as No Light, is in charge of tearing off the plastic wrap. As a solo artist and as a member of And The End of Everything alongside Me & Myself, Aguilar’s profile in the Mexican club scene has grown as of late. He performed at the Montreal edition of Mutek this year, and just last week dropped Treason, the follow-up to his 2014 Gold Frame Records EP Mourning Scenes.
A minute into “Confesión,” Treason’s opening track, it’s apparent that the EP fractures from Mourning Scenes‘ avant-garde elegance. Instead, No Light embraces the grittiness of his techno influences, creating an aggressive song informed by dubstep and Bmore breaks.
That violence is a common thread that holds the EP together. After a sinister doom-meets-ambient intro, the title track drops into a punishing beat with raw edges, sounding like metallic grime for the post-club age. The third and last of the original tracks is “Pervinca,” which he ties to his past works through jungle samples. Its floor-shattering beat could soundtrack a chase scene in an action movie set in 2050.
Luru remixes “Confesión” into a more stripped-down bass, conjuring the most fun moment on the EP. On the other hand, Witnessing’s flip of “Treason” is wildly unpredictable, unsettling, and as heavy as it gets.
Treason is a great move for No Light; it’s a curveball for people who thought they had him figured out, and a display of creativity without sacrificing cohesion.