Turns vinyl

Since 2010, Germany's Barker & Baumecker have been a solid, reassuring presence in the Ostgut Ton roster; the two producers invariably deliver the goods, whether it's militant techno or more mischievous strains of broken bass music. Their last LP, 2012's Transsektoral, was an ice-cold techno excursion, but this time they seem to be in a more expansive state of mind with this new album, Turns, a voyage across desolate ambient plains and symphonic dance floor experiments. The two openers, "Senden" and "Encipher" are the perfect entrance to an eerie world of molecular sonics, a sound which evolves further into the more beat-laden "Decipher", and the mechanical beats of "Club Entropicana". "Technogate" is a beatless blend of field recordings and echoing harmonies, while "Turnhalle" bounces away at a more uplifting tempo, "Nocturnal" chucks some breaks into the techno mix, and "Statik" ties things off with a sleek, polished 4/4 finish that is testament to the variety of styles that these two are capable of delivering.