Carpainter to release 10-track floor-filling techno EP

TREKKIE TRAX co-founder Carpainter is back with his latest release, ‘Super Dance Tools Vol. 4’, dropping January 31.

The fourth chapter in his Super Dance Tools series continues to showcase his signature sound—a hard-hitting blend of funky techno, hard groove, and hard techno.

This new EP serves up a collection of original cuts that Carpainter has been road-testing across Asia, and they’ve quickly become staples in his sets.

As with previous volumes, ‘Vol. 4’ pulls from the high-energy, fun-driven side of Japan’s rich techno legacy, but with a fresh twist. This time around, Carpainter introduces a new approach to sound design, focusing on organic distortion with a warm feel.

The result is a rich, immersive atmosphere that complements the raucous energy of the dancefloor. Each track on the EP differs from the last, but the overall vibe is unmistakably party-driven.

‘Fantasista’ kicks things off with an audacious mix of disco-inspired samples and the industrial grit of harder techno styles, while ‘Pretty Good’ stands out with its playful, almost “comical” synths layered over an unrelenting rhythm section.

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Then there’s ‘Kawasaki 100’, a tribute to the Japanese city of Kawasaki that keeps listeners on their toes with its unpredictable percussion and quirky sound design.

It’s tough to pick a favourite from such a dynamic release, but there’s something about the opener and closer that keeps pulling us back.

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The EP’s unsettling closer, ‘DVD’, sets a strange, disorienting tone that contrasts perfectly with the pure, euphoric energy of the opener ‘Fantasista’.

Together, these two tracks perfectly bookend an EP that’s as infectious as it is unpredictable and we’re eager to hear the project in the spaces they were seemingly intended for—a club at 4am.

‘Super Dance Tools Vol. 4’ releases this Friday (January 31), pre-order here.

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.

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