Reincarnated Savage

In more than a handful of ways, Milo Smee's Bintus alias and Power Vacuum label have served as spiritual successors to golden-era Rephlex. He's released new music from alumni likeCylob and DMX Krew's EDMX project, and in addition to his own work, fostered rogue acid and electro with records by Mark Broom and Invisible Scum. Now, for the first time since debuting in 2012, Smee has left Power Vacuum for his latest Bintus 12-inch. And though Reincarnated Savage's look and label offer a change of scenery, its music couldn't be more familiar.

Reincarnated Savage is up there with Bintus's most powerful work. The title track is the standout, all shuddering electro bass, decimated synths and robotic groove. Smee delivers his wonky and wicked sound design with smears of atonal piano and other ghoulish FX, careful to avoid a campy haunted house milieu. (Even the chilly melodic hook he sneaks in is a few notches of sustain away from B-movie horror schlock.) Instead, "Reincarnated Savage" plays more like Gesloten Cirkel; slot this one next to "Submit X" in your arsenal of peak-time weaponry.

What "7th Nov Jam" lacks in flair it makes up for in tenacity. Smee goes hard on a quaking industrial beat and machine-funk synth line, riding the blown-out clatter until the distortion gives way to a dry electro bounce. Intense as the opening three-quarters are, the end of "7th Nov Jam" makes a strong case for clarity and negative space in Bintus productions. As if to explore that concept further, "Mandate Atmos" follows with a spacey synth meditation that values sharp tonality and melodic drift. Hearing a soft side to Smee's project is almost as rewarding as the main event.