Techno Recommendations January 2012

Review: It is ironic that just as Marcel Dettmann appears to be branching out from the Ostgut stable, through his mix for Music Man and now this EP for 50 Weapons, he comes out his purest, most refined techno record yet. No one is suggesting that the Berghain resident has split with Ostgut or is neglecting his own MDR label, but it is an undeniable fact that no matter what he releases on, classic 90s techno influences form a key part of his musical DNA. This is audible on "Duel"; functional yet subtle, it owes a debt to the loopy techno of the 90s, caught somewhere between Mills's Purposemaker releases and the UK variant it spawned, as a dense, filtered groove rolls to a backdrop of tight claps and insistent riffing. This being a 2011 release, the tempo is slower than the records it is influenced by, with the drop in bpms lending "Duel" a mushier, groggier feeling. "Deluge" on the other hand, is far closer to its source material. A wiry, squelchy serving of minimal techno, it recalls Dan Bell in pared back, 7th City mode, while its jarring, jack-knifing central riff is every bit as visceral as Robert Hood. Irrespective of where he's putting out music, the purest sounds are at the core of each Dettmann track.

Review: Pacific Blue's Industry was one of those records that proved that some techno can have enough swing to appeal to a wide spectrum of DJs, and this remix 12" expands on the producer's sound in new and interesting ways. Silent Servant's remix takes the rigid stab of the original and floats it in space, keeping its delay wound like a rubber band, and while it's rhythm may feel more rigid than the original it loses none of the original's welcome rhythmic swing. Rrose's revision meanwhile is a more measured affair, taking its time to build itself up, but when the pulsating synth string arrives it has the curious effect of pulling the track back in on itself, creating a powerful gravity well which seems to pull the rhythms in before spitting them out again with added ferocity. Special mention must also got to the beautiful blue marbled vinyl and screenprinted insert.

Review: The Cursory EP is the second collaboration between Italians in Berlin The Analogue Cops and UK bass producer Blawan. It's the debut release on a new label run by another Italian duo, Raw People, but what is more notable is that the release maps out new possibilities for that grey area where house, techno and bass meet. "Aurum", with its loose, organic drums, could be easily mistaken for a Workshop release were it not for the wired vocal sample and interplay between the spacey, ambient chords and the arrangement's cheese-wire percussive licks. "Illy" is straighter and more representative of the Analogue Cops' approach, with its filtered groove and insistent stabs underscored by firing percussion, but it sounds functional when played next to "Quarto". The standout cut on the EP is based on a driving but more offbeat rhythm, while viscous acid lines cosy up to crashing cymbals, creating a woozy, edgy feeling. Put simply, "Quatro" is the kind of track that captures lost moments from late nights without making the listener feel uncomfortable. Finally, "Sickle" sees the trio return to dance floor techno, but with a difference. Blawan's input ensures that the rolling rhythm is fluid and less regimented, while the rasping percussion that tracks the building chord is rougher than a Ryanair red-eye out of Berlin on a Monday morning.

Review: With stellar EPs this year on Luke Slater's Mote Evolver, Avian, and Snare already this year, the anonymous Shifted moves to Our Circula Sound for another 12" of impeccably produced techno. On the A-Side, "Telic" delivers a particularly Millsian cut which combines a light brushing of dust with interstellar bleeps coming from the ether. On the B-Side meanwhile, "Solus" utilises a booming kick which is offset by some slightly more swinging percussive tics and a lead which adds some digital chatter before careering into a massive wall of screaming white noise. The EP is closed off with the dub laden atmospherics of "Image/Channel", taking abrasive industrial textures and marrying them with a lurching bass which slows everything down to a sticky crawl.

Review: Some strictly limited edition white label heat here, as James Ruskin and Karl O'Connor deliver two sides of recordings from a recent London live show. The A-Side, featuring James Ruskin's "Live Rhythm Separate" is a combination Ruskin's classic track 'Work' alongside the blunted rhythms of Kalon's 'Man Is The Superior Animal', offering all enveloping bass and metallic machine persussion. The B-Side features a live version of Karl O'Connor's "Live Tonal Separate", an ambient track whose moody pads and bubbling samples make an excellent beatless intro/outro tool, as well as an immersive listening experience. And if there's any worry about the quality of the tracks being compromised given these are live recordings, then don't; the tracks are as crisp as any of their studio work.

Review: The reputation of Blackest Ever Black has grown to the point where the arrival of a new record bearing their name never fails to generate excitement, mainly because you simply don't know what you're going to get. Young Hunting, the artist name for Edinburgh's Marc Dall and Alex Ander, is a case in point; combining tribal rhythms and looming bass, they're very much a perfect fit for the label, while sounding like nothing else. Opener "Embers From The Pyre" utilises a hesitant rhythm with manic pagan bells to evoke a sense of dread, before finishing off with a spoken word outro, while the lavish orchestration of "A Hunger Artist" offers a more cinematic, but no less frenetic pace, as the rapid drumming is punctuated with desperate lyrics. On the B-Side, "Spritual Abandonment" offers the warmest melodic moments of the EP, but they're continually pulled out from under you by the avant-garde progressions. The EP closes with "Entrance Form The Carnal Mind", a track that sets a gothic scene with its organ and choral voices, leading to an ending of abstract despair, with the kind of furious vocals that bring to mind Mark E Smith interrupting a black mass.

Review: The newly minted Vae Victis imprint launches in style with more laboratory explorations from Blawan and The Analogue Cops. The Cursory EP further cements a working relationship established on the recently released Restoration drop The Family EP, though it's fair to say the four tracks here are superior in execution. "Sickle" has of course those trademark drums that sound like they've been crafted from the scraping of corroded metal, yet there's a delicate wooziness to the textures of sound layered atop the rhythm that makes it quite intoxicating. "Aurumn" meanwhile commences in the depths of sonic sludge, building deftly with murky vocal samples and shifty kicks, whilst "Illy" betrays a similarly excellent usage of indecipherable vocal swerves before launching into a delirious hollowed out percussive thrust.

Review: Archive 01 presents an collection of finely crafted techno works from Developer, aka Adrian Sandoval of esteemed American label Modularz, and they walk an enjoyably murky line between dubbed out sounds and razor sharp percussion. The A-Side contains "Archivo 1" and "Archivo 2", which feel very much like two sides of the same coin, the former being a relentless warehouse thumper, with the latter sharing melodic themes but made considerably lighter in its step with some slightly more swung percussion and tense strings. On the B-Side, "Themes" builds with pulsing synths to an urgent synth horn climax, whilst "Throb" is accented with its murky vocal samples that emerge from the sludgy kicks. Finally, the brilliant "Human Condition" utilises undulating toms to hypnotic effect, building to a searing climax.

Review: Having been quiet since slipping out that rather fine Prime Numbers EP of archive house, Linkwood surfaces on the Firecracker affiliated Shevchenko imprint with some house music that can be best described as effortlessly gliding. A preface to the producer's second album which is set to drop in the early months of 2012, all three tracks here are superb - not least the title track "Secret Value" which sounds naggingly familiar to these ears. Massively vibey, the track begins with an upwards poise and veers in that trajectory throughout augmented by delightfully plump string flourishes that appear in cloud like formation atop the intricate syncopation. "Between Me & You" is essentially the same track twisted inside out, with the vibes deep set beneath the glowering sheen of saturated atmospherics. Those seeking something straighter will find much to admire in "Ignorance Is Bliss" which begins in more prominent fashion, thanks mostly to that burning bass line; though as the track progresses it's flushed with a delightfully smudged warm sensation. Big tip!