After releasing two EPs, a couple of singles and numerous remixes, London-based producer Dauwd teams up with cult Cologne label Kompakt for his third EP, Kindlinn. A brief 17 minutes of pulses, waves, beats and rattles comes and goes before you know it. Not, though, without leaving it’s mark.

We open with “Lydia”, labeled as the EP’s A-Side. A simple 4/4 beat sets the tone before quickly igniting, letting loose the more complex rhythms we’ve come to expect from Dauwd. Each element floating and falling at it’s own pace; coming together as you take it all in as a whole. The bass synths bounce in and out of the drums, while vocal exhales and chord stabs flare. It’s a track that, like the whole EP, rewards repeated listens.

Next, the title track “Kindlinn”. The track doesn’t sit still for a second; various sounds leap out at you as if a strobe was lighting up a dance floor. Hands everywhere. It keeps up the momentum gained from “Lydia” and rides it out to it’s natural end. The lead line is a tad meandering and the whole piece can be a little too confusing at times, but it still holds the EP together excellently.

Lastly, there’s “Rain Raker”. All built on a swirling pulse. Like if Subway’s “Persuasion” floated upwards instead of driving forwards. For nearly three minutes the pulses fade and the track flickers out, before one last burst of heat. A clever tease for the end of the EP before the whole thing finally extinguishes itself.

All in all, it’s an intriguing little record; one that knows its place, is happy to take it’s brief window of opportunity to leave it’s mark and to hint at what a Dauwd full-length would be capable of. Like kindling after all, designed to briefly fuel a moment in time, before vanishing into thin smoke.