EP Review: Maedon – Maedon 2.0

Following 5 years in Berlin, two albums and a continuing residency at Tresor all bringing acclaim, Maedon is now an established voice and one also in transition. The 8th release for her own Rant & Rave label announces this in its title, 2.0, and its sound, a bold move away from her industrial roots towards the groove-laden techno that earned her bones im Keller. The product of careful study of techno’s roots and evolution, this gradual process reaps rewards here, showcasing a bracing new direction for an already-accomplished artist.

MAEDON
Struggle often creates stronger art, and for Maeghan Donovan, the artist known as Maedon, this certainly rings true. Splitting her time between grimy Baltimore and filthy Philly while learning her craft, her 2018 arrival in NYC confirmed her emergence into the scene, debuting on Brooklyn/Berlin techno powerhouse Sonic Groove. A longtime student of industrial and wave music, combining this with the tough techno pioneered by this NYC institution brought her to new breakthroughs and an international audience.

Three years later, Maeghan forges ahead to the next phase of her career following a well-received collaborative full-length with Adam X as Maedon-X on the legendary Tresor that confirmed her voice with finessed production and raw, autobiographical and political content. In 2023, she launched her Rant & Rave imprint seeking to platform female artists alongside established and new voices and refocus her sound on artistic techno, a move solidified by her continuing residency at Tresor. Assuring her future as the world falls apart, Maedon’s bracing sound and undeniable skills are a story still unfolding with its beginnings written in grit.

‘Working Out the Kinks’ leads off, more a kinky workout than the work-in-progress its title suggests. A vocal sample and rugged groove initially brings an old school feel, something quickly offset by strikingly modern production details. The EPs middle stride, ‘Temporal’ and ‘Growing Pains’, attacks heads-down techno head on with style to spare. On the former, growling lows and rotating pads are gradually joined by a symphony of sonic detritus, with razor sharp drums slicing through the murk. A bouncing bassline and blink-and-miss fills on the latter hammer the rhythm onwards, surrounded by reduced industrial elements and grimy ambiance. ‘Breakthrough’ does exactly that, it’s uneasily modulating lead and bruising EBM bass buffeted by waves of percussion then jackhammering to a climax confirming Maedon’s 2nd coming.

Verdict: Heavy unrelenting techno bliss, Maedon brings us four peak-time heavy hitters that are full on dark-room kickers. Top production throughout, with an industrial edge, it gets dark and gritty, while still retaining balance. Maedon knows how to lay down the perfect Techno ride, with a sound that builds and builds, that takes you on an unremitting and hypnotising journey. Track it down.

Out Now: https://maedon.bandcamp.com/