Marcus L - Kimchi Slap [full colour sleeve]

Recording info

SPFDJ's Intrepid Skin imprint returns for an outlandish and typically heavy-hitting fourth release, fresh from the somewhat outrageous underground of the current South Korean electronic music scene. Marcus L is resident at Faust in Seoul, and first met SPFDJ when she played the city in 2018. In the time since, the two have shared bills in both London and Mumbai, where Marcus's distinct taste and technical dexterity became more than obvious to the Intrepid Skin founder, who dares to exclusively reveal that Marcus is "a really fun guy."

This sense of playfulness is immediately apparent throughout "Kimchi Slap", which takes inspiration from the beloved and fermented cabbage, reinterpreting this staple of Korean food culture as pure techno of the saltiest kind. So indebted to kimchi is Marcus's vision, he even sourced a microscope in order to photograph it in scintillating close-up on the cover.

Those inspired by previous Intrepid Skin transmissions from the scene-defining trilogy of Nene H, Schacke and VTSS will find much more to love in this blistering introduction to Marcus L. Reflecting his sets, Kimchi Slap smashes ML's love of industrial, trance and nineties techno classics into formidable rave paste.

Already a local rap legend and "irreplaceable character" Kill.gone provides culinary verse and unfuckwithable attitude to the elasticated techno landscape of the title track. On "P For Phycho", Marcus redeems his blatant disregard for correct spelling with a masterful slice of burst drums and quivering acid, beckoning all ravers down a rabbit hole of warehouse-friendly lunacy.

"Hardcore Reality" is just as instantaneous, a tunneling carnival ride of militant bass and ecstatic atmosphere, while Parisian DJ and producer Hadone's remix of the intimidating "Kimchi Slap" transforms Marcus's original dish into a dense, tense and surprisingly groovy kiss-off, positioning Kill.gone as a trance-like God, ascending to head of the table on a twin wave of ecstasy and melancholy.