FUNCTION Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Dave Sumner's Function project is one of techno's most consistently well regarded. Awakening From The Illusory Self is another release that backs that up, and it follows on form his last full length, 2019's Existenz. The tempo is high, the quality higher, with 'An Optical Illusion Of Consciousness' layering up rubbery drums and bass, warped synth and bleeping melodies into something gooey and languid yet compelling as hell. 'Compulsive Thinking: Repetitive & Pointless' is more tense with its edgy sounds and rugged drums loops, then the flip races through outerspace on waves of booming techno deepness.

Review: In recent years, David Sumner's music as Function has tended towards the dark, lo-fi, industrial and minimal. "Existenz", his first solo album in six years, is an altogether more melodious, thoughtful and ear-catching affair. Of course, there are still some suitably mangled, mind-altering club cuts on show - see the buzzing, shape-shifting heaviness of "Ertrinken", the spaced-out hypnotism of "Kurzstrecke" and the Berghain-ready "Vampire" - but these largely play second fiddle to more playful and tuneful expressions of electro, Detroit style techno, dreamy fusions of deep house and early UK style tech-house, and ambient cuts so lovely you'll want to bathe in them. He even makes room for a couple of vocal collaborations with Robert Owens. It all adds up to a stunning set that's undoubtedly one of the most instantly arresting techno albums of the year.