According to Dave Clarke, there isn’t much techno happening on his latest album. Far from being sick of what made his name in the ’90s, ‘The Desecration of Desire’ nevertheless sounds like a musical turning point: “I listen to many types of music … and I felt free for the first time to implement this approach for my own project,” he says. True enough, his first record in 14 years buzzes with unexpected elements of harsh noise, heavy industrial, and grinding EBM. Standout tracks ‘Charcoal Eyes (Glass Tears)’ and ‘Monochrome Sun’ feature the whiskey-soaked baritone of ex-QOTSA member Mark Lanegan, while Gazelle Twin’s submerged vocal sparks and whips on ‘Cover Up My Eyes’.
It all sounds like Clarke trading the club for a much darker place, even if the allure of a neat 4/4 beat proves hard for him to escape altogether. Yet, there’s a playfulness that belies the darkness, as if Clarke is busy working out what comes next. We hear him speak through Lanegan: “I have fucked with the past / now it’s time to dance with the future.”
