PHOENIXXX

Album review

WWWINGS are a mysterious trio of producers (known only as Lit Internet, Lit Eyne, and Lit Daw) who reside in former Soviet Union countries and met on a Russian social networking site. After forming the collective in 2015, they began releasing online EPs and instantly gained a following among fans of cutting-edge electronic music with their aggressive, startling sound incorporating elements of trap, industrial, grime, and numerous other styles. The group's heavily detailed, panoramic tracks seem to violently burst from the dark, assaulting the listener with smashing glass, whirring surveillance cameras, and severely fractured beats. The 2016 full-length Phoenixxx, issued on vinyl by Planet Mu, is actually an extended version of Phoenix, an album WWWINGS digitally released for free earlier in the year. The album is heavy with collaborations, ranging from grime deconstructionist EndgamE to NON WORLDWIDE-affiliated collagist Chino Amobi to Imaabs of Mexico City's NAAFI collective. At any given moment, the tracks suddenly shift into Eastern European and Latin rhythms, explode with bursts of grindcore, and even incorporate operatic vocal samples. There's always an explosion, siren, or Tarzan howl around the corner, and nothing feels safe or sacred. Harsh, pummeling, and paranoid, the album feels like being trapped in a virtual war zone that covers the face of the planet, offering no escape, and only a few brief moments of respite before resuming the onslaught. It couldn't be more dystopian. It's also a completely exhilarating thrill ride, and highly recommended for fans of other bass-heavy sound bombers such as Amnesia Scanner and Brood Ma.

© Paul Simpson /TiVo