Recommended: Teengirl Fantasy – Motif EP

R&S just keep them coming. The latest signing to one of our favourite labels is the New York duo Nick Weiss and Logan Takahashi, who go by the moniker Teengirl Fantasy. These two gentlemen are making techno and house with an analogue approach and a nonconformist mentality, and when we say that they’ve caught our attention, we mean it. What we really love about Teengirl Fantasy is their willingness to dive headfirst into the depths of weird – who could forget the genius of their track “Cheaters“? Teengirl Fantasy’s material shows that the duo have an even stronger grasp on exactly what kind of sonic universe they want to create.

The EP title track “Motif” is a seven minute pilgrimage to the shrine of  electronic excellence. The first half of the track is reminiscent of an Oni Ayhun production (a side project of The Knife’s Olof Dreijer): elegantly ambient but relentlessly deviant. “Motif” is lurid techno filtered through a diaphanous disco haze, the kind of trip you could kick back to on a journey you know will take at east a few light years, give or take a bit of cosmic traffic. Teengirl Fantasy don’t hold back on the emphatic percussive elements either, giving them full reign for the track’s midsection. Before long we’re treated to a scampering piano melody however, which adds a little hint of 90s euphoria to the mesmeric voyage. Eternal” is a briefer, glitchier affair and will feature on the duo’s forthcoming album. It’s as thrilling as “Motif” is compelling, all rampant synths and rowdy drum machine, but still has an incandescence that will leave you dosed and drooling for a full-length.We’d be remiss to neglect Actress‘s excellent contribution on the remix, handling business with a simplicity that’s anything but boring. It disarms the dynamic synths of the original in favour of a strict techno groove, but displays some of Actress’s distinctive creativity nonetheless. All in all, the “Motif” EP is a brilliant little teaser for an album we can’t wait to get our hands on. 

Stream: Teengirl Fantasy – Motif (R&S Records)

“Motif” is out June 25th on vinyl and will be released digitally on July 9th (R & S Records).

Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura

Camberwell based ricecake enthusiast. twitter