Stil vor Talent protégés Hidden Empire are making a comeback with their eagerly anticipated new effort, ‘Move It’, and it’s safe to say this new single is some kind of turning point for the duo. As the pair explains, ‘Move It’ came to be after “we played several shows and realized that our current sound no longer resonated with us. We felt a need for a fresh direction—something different from our usual style. We were craving a more techy and groovy vibe, characterized by shorter breaks and simpler melodies.” Tracing back to their roots and revisiting “some of our older productions, which had a raw energy that we wanted to bring back”, Hidden Empire also used the experience gathered from recent trips across India to shape this new sound: resolutely more aggressive, rugged and flush with “pumping, old-school vibes – perfectly suited for the dancefloor”.

All in curvy yet lethal bass undulations, robotic funk and ominous synth shards on a dystopian tip, the title-track has us surfing a rogue wave of EBM-ish proto techno custom-built for hi-intensity mosh pit navigation, whereas ‘Enemies’ trades the lead single’s anthemic and Moroder’esque throb for a further stealthy piece of club dark arts. As howling machines and squelchy bass ripples lace their blazing cry, we’re being steered right into the mouth of an absolute furnace of sound and fury. No surrender.

Catalogue number: SVT371