RICHARD BROPHY,
richardbrophy@gmail.com
QUICKIES A Sagittariun
Rapid Ear Movement Elastic Dreams 7.5
The mysterious producer drops a killer fusion of electro bass and tight breakbeats on ‘A Lucid Dream’, while Terrace returns to the early ‘90s with a trancey reshape. Meanwhile, ‘The Mojo Odyssey’ sees Sagittariun conjure up a dark, bassy groove reminiscent of Suburban Knight.
Mark Broom
Acid Dik Power Vaccuum 8.0
Broom bangs the acid and ghetto boxes on ‘Dik’. Containing the kind of grimey 303s that Stay Up Forever made their name with, the siren bells and primal stomp will remind Chicago fans of vintage Steve Poindexter and Robert Armani — which is never a bad thing.
TECHNOREVIEWS Terrence Dixon
Rrose
Waterfall Variations Eaux 8.0
‘Variations’ is next level techno; taking inspiration from the drone legacy of Sandwell District, Rrose delivers a tunneling sound over minimal beats on ‘Waterfall (Birth)’, while Lucy’s remarkable remix references early ‘90s artists like Vapourspace while sounding contemporary.
Tin Man
Underdog EP Pomelo 7.5
Tin Man drops one of his most clubby releases to date. On ‘UR’, he unites his trademark acid lines with a tough, pumping groove and deep chords, while ‘Stay Down’ is based on a soaring bass and ponderous keys.
Peter van Hoesen
Receiver (Remixes) Time 2 Express
9.0
Van Hoesen has been quiet for the past year, with his ‘Perceiver’ album the only sign of activity. This collection of remixes of album tracks steers the affable Belgian’s work back from its abstract tendencies towards the dancefloor; SCB’s take on ‘Seven, Green & Black’ is reminiscent of Van Hoesen’s own bass-heavy approach, while Sigha and Neel both pursue bleak, industrial paths and Marcel Fengler and Phase opt for gnarly, acid- fuelled versions. Tellingly perhaps, it’s Donato Dozzy’s sprawling, ambient take on ‘Attribute 39’ that impresses most.
Blacknecks
Blacknecks 01 Blacknecks 7.5
DJ TLRCREME ORGANISATION
01. R-ZONE‘Romijn Ravine’R-Zone “A perfect hybrid of electro, Detroit techno and early jungle breakbeat. Done by a name-
less relative newcomer from Bristol.”
02. R-ZONE‘Jungle Raver’R-Zone “Wacky flashback proto jungle-rave done by some famous German production team.”
03. FISHERMEN‘Port Strays’Kontra “Hands down the sickest techno tune I have heard all year — like a noose tightening
around your neck, with absolutely no chance of escape.”
04. DJ SPIDER & MARSHALLITO‘Trilogy Tapes 011’ Trilogy Tapes “‘Trilogy Tapes’ is some next level shit. This track is fairly straightforward compared to
most others — paranoid and fuzzed out mindfuck techno for the late hours.”
05. MOONRAKER‘Oromnibus’ Trilogy Tapes “Strange twirling two-step beats that slide in and out of sync with spaced out crystal
bleeps and lots of shiny sounds.”
06. TERRENCE DIXON‘Lost At Sea (Untitled #3)’ Surface “Vaguely tribal beat with great metallic edges and washy Dixon hi-hats, all overlaid with
some crazy swirling synth pads and early ravey house bass gnarl.”
07. INNERSHADES‘Nina At The Boilerroom’ Creme “This is some proper banging Polarius-like techno-house. Insanely rewarding.”
08. SIMONCINO‘Tape Seven’ Creme “Dreamy classic-sounding Chicago/NY house in a Nu Groove/Dream2Science vein.”
09. KOWTON‘Refix V10’ CDR “A great dreamy track with spaced-out vocal samples and a slightly poppy synth line.”
10. THE SUN GOD‘The 9 Billion Names Of God’Bio Rhythm “Super-cool locked groove action for the first five minutes before descending into
trademark Jamal Moss sonic weirdness and distorted free jazz techno.”
The people behind this release claim to trace their roots back to UK garage, but it’s hard to hear the connection on ‘01’. Instead, we’re subjected to the most feral techno this side of Blawan and MPIA3. Distorted kicks pushed into the red, walls of noisy feedback and abrasive percussive parts prevail. The only link to anything outside of the industrial/ noise approach is a dissected vocal sample on ‘B1’, but it’s still a million miles from Twice As Nice.
DJ Overdose
The Future Of The Planet Lunar Disko 8.5
Fresh from releasing one of this year’s finest albums, DJ Overdose veers off on a different path for ‘Planet’. There are echoes of his ‘Bizarro World’ long-player on the horror synth sounds of ‘Sandokan’, but in the main he is worshiping at the altar of Detroit music. He references UR’s melodic style on ‘Housing The House’, while ‘141 Gates’ and ‘Nibiru’ take inspiration from Drexciya, as flabby basslines and complex drum programming are mixed with eerie synth melodies summoned up from Davy Jones’s Locker.
Florian Kupfer
Lifetrax L.I.E.S. 8.5
When will L.I.E.S’s staggering run of form end? Judging by ‘Lifetrax’, the label shows no signs of running out of creative steam. Indeed, the title track sees Ron Morelli’s operation go in a new direction as robust 808s and warm electro bass provide the basis for mellow, jazzy keys. There is a return to more familiar territory on ‘Feelin’, but with a twist. While it features pounding kick drums, it also boasts an infectious, high-pitched vocal that could provide the label with its first crossover release.
Kurt Baggaley
Line Of Sight Stem 8.0
Instead of the bleak electro Baggaley used to release, the title track is deep and melodic, as beautiful hooks and harmonies are fused over a tight, spiky techno rhythm. ‘Touching Your Mind’ features similarly deep, emotive synths to the sounds that prevailed on his Tau Sagittarii album, but it can’t compare to the Legowelt take on ‘Sight’. There, Danny Wolfers brings dramatic acid lines to bear on Baggaley’s melodies. It’s like a match made in electro heaven.
Lost At Sea Surface 8.0
Terrence Dixon is enjoying a stellar comeback, thanks to 2012’s ‘From The Far Future Part 2’ album and this release on Nick Dunton’s label. The key difference is that while ‘Future 2’ mapped out the next direction for his pointillist minimalism, ‘Sea’ finds him in maximalist form. Gone are the pinprick beats and hypnotic repetition, replaced by heavy tribal beats, rasping percussive licks and Morse Code bleeps. He also takes inspiration from one of Detroit’s other great producers, Kevin Saunderson, to deliver booming Reese-style basslines — but remains in a world of his own.
R-Zone
3 R-Zone 8.0
The third installment in Creme Organization’s spin-off series maintains the underlying deep sound explored on ‘2’. ‘Dead’ is a reflective, dubby affair, its flowing rhythm housing ominous vocals, while ‘Pain’ uses a different approach to achieve the same effect. Eerie synths and an austere bass unfold over crisp drums to create a feeling akin to being sucked slowly through tar-covered quicksand.
Rodhad
Spomeniks EP Token 8.0
Like his teased DJ sets, Rodhad makes techno music that changes direction and mood at will, flitting between the forceful and the emotive, the linear and the haunting. On the title track, a linear rhythm gives way to a cold bleep sequence, while ‘Energomash’ sees visceral riffs unfold over lead-weight drums. But ‘Buzludzha’ is most deserving of the listener’s attention, its dense backing track providing the basis for Rodhad to unleash a cacophony of terse drones and supernatural synths.
Various Artists
World Electronix 3 Cultivated Electronics 8.5
Some of the finest electro artists are on this third installment of ‘World Electronix’. In the new breed corner there’s Conforce with the dreamy melodies and rock-hard beats of ‘Ionization’ and the acid-led bass of DeFeKT vs Sync 24’s ‘Pulse Effect’. Jakbeat producer JTC delivers a simplistic but effective 808 workout on ‘In Transit’, but the highlight is Shad T Scott’s contribution as Gosub; otherworldly voices weave in and out of ‘The Blue In Blackness’, a gloomy and macabre cut.
djmag.com 071
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