ICONYC continues its curatorial stride with Unfold, a four-track offering from Cologne-based trio Diode Eins. Including a collaboration with the inimitable Paul Brenning, Unfold tears down walls in favor of raw expression in a state-of-the-art EP that finds Julien Hecker, Jerome Tiaden, and Jannis Klimpel presenting a studied yet emotive exploration of post-club aesthetics, balancing rhythmic heft with experimental nuance.

Biding their time, Diode Eins & Paul Brenning welcome us into "What We Shared" with a boisterous introduction as heavy-handed drumming and winding gears stomp across barren grounds. With tension now settling in, a strobbing low-end pulse takes over, thrusting us down a cavernous spiral as Brenning's stunning vocals cascade around us, lingering in the darkness of our past. Now, tightly wrapped in its allure, we fall deeper inside "What We Shared", offsetting a chain reaction that sees the piece reconfigure itself through a corrosive chemical process for a harrowing contrast in an avant-garde centerpiece.

For our second act, Diode Eins keeps us at the edge of our seats with the ever-shifting "Ain't You". Complex and defiant from the first bar, this creation builds on scattered pieces and left-fielded machinery. Solidifying an intricate framework, the Cologne-based outfit proceeds to deploy a myriad of tantalizing passageways where elements come in and out of frame for a surreal experience. From sultry vocal ad-libs, to angelical swells, and on to razor-sharp alarms and gated pianos, "Ain't You" challenges the finges of club music in a heady and narcotic take on the future.

This assertive performance continues with "Tambor", where raw energy takes the wheel. Portuguese vocal lines cut through an asymmetrical drum pattern, and a snarling bassline injects urgency into the mix. There's a tension between the human and the machine here, a sense of conflict that plays out across jagged rhythms and looping refrains. In its protest-like momentum, Tambor channels the spirit of resistance via club architecture.

Completing our cinematic dystopian exploration, Diode Eins presents us with the skitterish "Breaking Veils". Delicate, yet granitic, this final cut evokes black holes washing over us as it unfurls over broken shards. Meanwhile, iridescent atmospheres sway and move in mysterious ways before dissipating into the ether as gated vocals step under the limelight. Deeper in our trance, sharp guitar lines draw otherworldly figures in the air, while entropy runs its course, providing a magnificent finale for a record that defies notions with every chord.