A production that bears the name “Pete Tong” promises a forward looking take on modern sound, and the BBC1 legend’s newest collaborative effort with John Monkman is no departure from Tong’s progressive tradition. Tong and Monkman treat listeners to an entrancing medley of gritty progressive and crisp tech on “Placebo,” a potent effort that extends just beyond the seven-minute mark.
The dark undulations of “Placebo’s” underlying beat guide the track forth from the very first second of the song. Staticky gusts of sound pique listeners’ interest as “Placebo” builds, interweaving different technical elements as it mounts. Blaring synths coalesce in “Placebo’s” perceptible but not overpowering climaxes. Unsurprisingly expertly and intricately constructed, “Placebo” is a transfixing layered production that re-imagines the quintessential power of the synth.
