Anyma and Rebūke go dark on Syren

Anyma has spent the past year playing songs nobody could buy yet.

That’s over on 11 August, when ‘Genesys’ arrives on Afterlife as his debut album, fourteen tracks with Chris Avantgarde, Grimes, Cassian, CamelPhat and Rebūke scattered through them.

He is also, as of this year, the single biggest-selling artist on Beatport anywhere in the world, which is a strange thing to be true of somebody who hasn’t put out an album yet. Afterlife is having a similar year. Dancing Astronaut named it Label of the Year and nobody argued very hard.

‘Syren’ is the one with Rebūke, and it’s the darkest thing on the record.

It works because the two of them pull in opposite directions and neither gives much ground. Rebūke brings the bass-driven end of techno, all weight and forward motion, while Anyma answers with the progressive synth writing he’s built an entire reputation on, and the track spends its length refusing to settle into either.

They played it at Tomorrowland last weekend without telling anybody it was coming. A surprise guest slot in the middle of Anyma’s own set, weeks before anybody could hear it again.