SHXCXCHCXSH

Hailing from Norrköping, Sweden, this nameless and phonetically impenetrable duo operated without faces yet delivered some of the era’s most inventive and prescient techno during the early 2010s. Their work carried an industrial edge and refused compromise, distinguished by exceptional sonic craftsmanship and an extensive collection of self-generated samples that lent singular character to their dense, hardware-driven textures. The first item they issued was the full-length RRRRGRRGRRR EP, which appeared in 2012 via the Spanish imprint Subsist; though more direct and dancefloor-focused than subsequent efforts, it already hinted at the direction ahead. Within the same twelve months they also placed NMHNMHNMNMH with the domestic Swedish outlet HEM and RJRJRFFRJRJ on Avian, the influential label operated by Shifted and Ventress. Avian ultimately became their exclusive home, issuing two further EPs plus three albums across the following four years. Their first long-player, STRGTHS, arrived in 2013 as Avian’s inaugural album release; its viscous, industrial atmosphere quickly established the pair within specialist techno circles. In 2014 came the comparatively linear and at times ambient-tinged Linear S Decoded, followed in 2016 by SsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSs, a markedly restrained statement that ventured deeper into the duo’s private sonic domain.