Cave Canem Review: An Odyssey In Electronica

Regionality is a huge part of music culture. Every country has its own distinct sounds and traditions, offering musical ideas that artists halfway across the world could never even fathom. But one genre that spans every corner of the world is electronica. Dance music is irresistible, regardless of where you find yourself.

From the sprawling electronic scene in France to the underground clubs across the UK to the niches popping up across Argentina, every culture has its own spin on the danceable, ever-energetic sound of electronic music. That is exactly what Cave Canem celebrates. A collection of tracks assembled by talents across continents, this compilation is a testament to humankind’s universal love for electronic music. Cave Canem takes the listener on a global voyage, passing through a variety of diverse sounds to highlight the never-ending versatility and creativity in electronica.

(Credit: Cane Corso Records)

We enter the album with the impactful opener, “Third Time’s the Charm”, delivered by DJ happyaccidents. The track opens up with a nightmarish hum interrupted by shots of static, like strikes of digital lightning. Then the storm hovers over the listener: a cacophony of metallic percussion and sizzling synthesiser, juxtaposed by eerie passages of silence filled only by the faint whisper of static before the noise rises once more. A masterclass in atmosphere, the intro showcases the power of electronica to immerse the listener in another world and still have them bobbing their heads.

From here, we transition into Casement’s “Hound”, a thundering club tune dominated by a hypnotic drum loop. Echoey, autotune-layered vocals reverberate over the percussion, giving the song an insatiably catchy tempo while also creating the chilling effect of emptiness and isolation. This is followed up with “Karavajevi” from Dario and RAVL. This cut almost acts as a fusion of the previous two, striking a delicate balance between its harrowing atmosphere and buzzing, in-your-face synth passages. At the halfway mark, we are shaken by an electronic jumpscare when, at the song’s quietest moment, it erupts into a violent explosion of chopped vocals and distorted bass.

“Cinamon” offers a rhythmic change of pace. Delivered by the Warsaw-based DJ Some Guest, the listener is pulled in by an irresistible hi-hat pattern that makes way for a hypnotic clamour of pulsing bass and pitched-down vocals. “Bring Me Back” from DJ Physical follows a similar pattern of intense percussion and never-ending vocal samples, followed by the bombastic “Octavius”, a standout which demands the listener bang their head to the beat.

(Credit: Cane Corso Records)

Just a handful of tracks into Cave Canem, the variety on display is already incredible. From a passage of atmospheric cuts into a run of club-shaking bangers, the album shifts sound again with the space-age grooves supplied by Beavs on “Scald”. All the way from Buenos Aires, producer Cimarron drives the compilation in a whole new direction with the dramatic strings and quickfire synths on “Discoteca”, given some South American flavour thanks to the Spanish vocals booming over the ever-changing noise.

NOGE’s “Tell Dem” keeps up the momentum before we enter “Guapo” from Vitaline – an uncompromisingly abrasive cut driven by harsh percussion and relentless vocal chops, pausing only for an orchestra of industrial drums to thunder through the track.

Switching gear yet again, “Digital Thug” from High Fidelity fuses hip hop with electronica, wherein the rapper spits bars over a barrage of drums, synths, and ear-shattering bass. Things don’t stay stable for long as Carousel’s “Arch Ethereal” brings Cave Canem back into ambient territory, guided by a dreamy synth passage interwoven with ripples of chopped vocals and drum-and-bass style percussion. In stark contrast, “Alma Libre” is driven by a mesmerising spiral of afrobeat-style drums, juxtaposed by an explosion of drum machines and screeching synthesisers on the back end. A fusion of sounds new and old, natural and electronic, “Alma Libre” is the clearest standout in an album of standouts.

As the album draws to a close, it enters its most eclectic stage. Following the nightmarish din of industrial noise on “Motion” and the Southern-hip-hop-infused madness of “Post Funeral”, Svawk’s “Bioversion” takes Cave Canem in its darkest direction. The track is a sinister piece of ambient music comprised of muffled industrial sounds and distant crackling, bringing back the atmospheric horror heard at the beginning of the LP. Finally, Cave Canem closes with “Monarch Wings” from Lorenzi – a powerful finish where stuttering vocals and angelic sung passages spiral around a summery synth-line. The album started off dark and despairing, but its conclusion is the brightest moment of the whole LP. Slowly, the track fades into a haze of static, returning to the silence that kicked off the electronic odyssey.

Cave Canem is far more than your average electronic album. Bringing together talents from all across the world, this compilation is a statement of the universality of electronic music, but more importantly, of the unlimited diversity within the genre. Every town, city, and country has its own twist on electronica. From dark ambience to vocal-chopping house to rap-infused techno, there is no end to the creativity found in the electronic scene. Cave Canem is an exciting snapshot of how eclectic modern electronic music can be, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.