Techno Savant Xhin Returns To His Rock Roots With A 21-Track Avant-Garde Metal Album

Xhin has delivered a 21-track rock masterpiece (Credit: Courtesy of Xhin)

Xhin is one of those understated local virtuosos whose output is like a force of nature – occurring sporadically and unpredictably, but its impact is always tempestuous. Despite being one of the underground scene’s most gifted and accomplished exports, the Tresor and Berghain alumnus remains fairly clandestine in his appearances, limiting his performances in recent years save for the enigmatic gig or two. His discography, however, is easier to excavate. And within, you’ll find an experimental repertoire that’ve seen the light of day on cutting-edge techno labels like Stroboscopic Artefacts, Token and Midnight Shift.

Xhin has been respected as an innovator for over two decades (Credit: Courtesy of Xhin)

But if you expected Xhin’s next offering to follow past formulae that’ve covered IDM, electro and left-field techno, you’re off the mark. Instead, the oft-conceptual artist digs deep into his origins as a rock-trained guitarist, producing a beastly full-length opus called Mouth Of The Wolf. The second album released on Xhin’s own The Document label, it is a continuous piece divided into 21 tracks, served as an avant-garde assortment of textural instrumentals that show his artistry beyond that of a dancefloor instigator. This is not an electronic pursuit. On the contrary, this is fundamentally a record that rocks.

Mouth Of The Wolf truly goes for the jugular with lupine intensity. It gnaws and shakes you around with a wanton instinct, tripping you up with sounds that explore industrial, jazz fusion, ambient and extreme metal. Amidst alto saxophones, cello strikes and glitchy electronics, Xhin’s guitar aptitude takes centrestage with its abundance. Across the tracks, the instrument morphs to become a wailing demon, a serenading poet, a cosmic creature; summoned through transformative effects that make impossible sounds possible. From the unforgiving double-pedalled hellstorm of “Murder Machine” to the sci-fi thriller aura of “Portals”, each track is an esoteric figment of Xhin’s wide-arching imagination, and you see it all in pristine clarity.

“I always push myself to explore new musical territories, diverging from my previous work,” Xhin shares on his socials. “Remember, I am a musician at heart and will always be. I have never limited myself to being just an electronic music producer or a DJ.”