Matador & ARTBAT – Apollo 11 EP [RUKUS]

Matador and ARTBAT release their debut collaboration ‘Apollo 11‘ on Matador’s RUKUS imprint, available from Friday 15th March. When two of the hottest techno acts announce an alliance, a hypersonic gestalt is created. Their two-tracker, named after the first successful moon landing craft, is out of this world, and arrives bang on target.

Matador, fresh off a high-octane Australian tour, has hit 2019 running. Whilst the year ahead promises new frontiers for the live artist to conquer, with gigs at Sonar Istanbul and Ultra Miami, he ensures his RUKUS brand welcomes both new faces and explorative trajectories. Duo ARTBAT, from Kiev, have achieved enviable success, building on solid bases as individual DJ/producers. Regulars on Diynamic, their ‘Planeta’ EP in 2018 is the label’s biggest selling release yet, and ‘Upperground’ from their latest EP is currently No. 1 in Beatport’s overall chart. Their sets likewise are innovative and exuberant, leading to stellar shows at Circoloco and Fusion Festival.

‘Apollo 11‘ blasts off in rhythmically driven fashion bolstered by plucky synths and vigorous pads. SH101 licks propel the listener into a bubbly, scintillating arpeggiator breakdown, and hi-hats navigate a close encounter with celestial horns. The unearthly calls and spectral pads in ‘Visitor‘ celebrate restrained vocals and a glitchy Prophet lead line. Oscillating, low-frequency vibrations chart a course through infinite space and time, and command an astral musical sequence. From club shows to festivals around the globe, both tracks have already ignited explosive reactions on dance floors and are crafted to journey beyond the unknown.