SLIKBACK - Attrition
Slikback releases Attrition – a densely detailed, cinematic exploration of sound packed with intricate rhythms and gleaming textures.
Slikback’s Attrition marks his first full-length album for Planet Mu, delivering an immersive melding of cinema and game sound design with tough dance music. It's like a sci-fi film for the ears, exploring a chain of events with dark atmospheres and dramatic pacing; trapdoors and jump scares for your ears. These contrasts and the dense painterly colour of his sounds give it a beastly beauty.
The album came to life during a period of transition, while waiting for a visa after recently moving to Poland from Kenya, where he grew up. With this unexpected pause in travel, Slikback found himself working at a slower, more deliberate pace. Writing for a label instead of self-releasing also introduced new dynamics, like feedback and structured release schedules. Rather than feeling restricted, he saw this process as a blessing. In a happy and reflective headspace—newly married and welcoming a newborn child—he was able to fully develop his compositions. “I was finally able to explore ideas to a point where I didn’t feel the need to change anything,” he shares. Attrition is the result of that creative freedom.
While Attrition nods to familiar genres, drawing on elements of Gqom, Dubstep, Tech-Step, and Hardcore Techno, it pushes them into new territory, shaping high-tech, intricate compositions. “I worked on the tracks back and forth, drastically transforming some from their original sketches,” Slikback explains. “I wanted to create a journey within each track, like something alien emerging from emptiness—beauty from chaos.”
The album opens gently before diving into fast-paced 140bpm sounds, reminiscent of earlier Planet Mu releases. Midway through, "Taped" shifts the energy with a shimmering, 160bpm rolling bassline. As the album progresses, its intensity builds. The music grows darker, faster, and more unpredictable, culminating in a final track that bursts apart in a thrilling, chaotic climax.
A standout moment in Slikback’s career, Attrition is a masterclass in sound design and vision. Strange yet beautiful, intense yet rewarding—it’s the most strikingly unique album you’ll hear all year.
Live
May 30 NL Amsterdam, FIBER Festival @ Garage Noord - upstairs DJ
June 04 ES True Panther & BBC presents x Primavera a la Ciutat @ Sala Apolo / Nitsa AKA HEX
June 06 FR Paris, Raguénès @ irish pub
June 28 NL Rotterdam, Nous'klaer Festival - Draaimolen stage
July 05 IT Parma, LOST @ Labirinto della Masone - Pyramid stage AKA HEX
August 23 CA Montreal, Mutek @ SAT
