Over a year ago, Max Gardner christened Peer with This is a Test. He now returns to the imprint he co-founded alongside Cory Simpson with another five-track effort: the Energy Punk EP. Evident in its eclectic sonics is how Max’s interpretation of techno has evolved and expanded in the months since his debut.

“The West Coast is Back” opens the EP just as appropriately as it would open a room. Boisterous hip-hop samples cut through ambient noise in the first minute of the track. What follows is a footwork-like kick drum cadence complemented by the abstract psychedelia that defines so much of Max’s output.

The title track signals an appreciable shift in direction. “Energy Punk” is aptly titled as its palpitating rhythms and industrial synth work fly in the face of expectations that have come to confine the techno genre. In the latter half, subtle acids rattle their way up the dynamic range only to give way to an eerie melody at the outro.

From a cauldron of metallic echoes come straightforward kick drums that set a stirring pace in “Fridays Aren’t Fridays Anymore.” Then, after an atmospheric respite in the breakdown, an electrifying lead introduces the core motif of the track. Sterile and cerebral, it subsides at the end to make room for bright tones to shine from the textures that introduced the arrangement.

One might cite “Maxshake” as the most inventive single on the Energy Punk EP. Its dissonant chords make it a standout of Max’s discography without straying from his mission to deliver techno that challenges the listener. Warped yet cohesive, discordant yet satisfying, it bears all the hallmarks of timeless underground dance music.

All good things must come to an end, and what better conclusion for the Energy Punk EP than “Sea Moon”? The track’s ascending lead seems to whisper its way into the arrangement but commands an imposing voice by the end. The same could be said of the effort as a whole, making the single a microcosm of sorts.

The music of Max Gardner is in no small part responsible for Peer’s unquestionable place in techno. The Energy Punk EP further cements him as a tastemaker by flexing his versatility as a producer and his uninhibited approach as an artist.

- Description by John Cameron