SHOAL Schallplatten & CDs

Review: For their 12th EP, the Oblique Music crew call upon a bunch of friends who have "spent many hours together in the studio, booth and kitchen." Despite that, this is the first time the artists have all been on the same relate together, and what a fine one it is. The techno they all serve up is deep and hypnotic, with Shoal kicking off with layers of silky drums and underlapping pads that lock you in perfect loops. Ben Buitendijk explores more trippy sound designs and drunken rhythms on 'Zero Dawn' and there are more rugged loops and woodpecker hits on Koen Hoets's 'Essence.' Vand bangs it out to close in the most intense but still serene fashion of all.

Review: Voal is Shoal and Vand and is already a stamp of quality off this one EP alone if you like your techno deep. 'Carpet Crawler' is a great name for a track that is all about bendy bass and warped, low lying synth lines that creep like snakes thorough the undergrowth. 'Luficer' then has a more hiccupping deep tech rhythm that is embellished with spooky and watery sound effects. 'Saffron' is another mind melting trip through bendy techno brilliance and last of all, 'Take My Hand' slows things down and strips things back to more expert atmospherics.