RICHARD BROPHY,
richardbrophy@gmail.com
QUICKIES Fokus Group
Fokus Group EP Pennyroyal 7.5
Paul Mac and Ben Sims deliver a no-nonsense release as Fokus Group. ‘Rave X3 = Murder’ is an intense acid slammer and ‘93.2’ sees them focus on grinding analogue sounds. But the highlight is the searing bassline and in- your-face breakbeats of ‘Mucky Crack Funk’.
Frak
Raw Space Kontra Musik 7.5
Scandinavia’s most offbeat techno act returns with more live jams. Soaked in acid and featuring Frak’s freestyle rhythms, ‘Kom Deluxe’ is a trippy affair. However it can’t compare to the pile-driving drums and wild 303 licks of ‘Fragmentus’.
Call Super Mark Broom
Acid Dik Power Vacuum 7.5
Broom drops a wild, hoover-inspired release. The title track is all pounding warehouse beats, grimy acid lines and even some cowbells, but it can’t compare to the screeching sirens and wild rave abandon of the ‘Alarm Remix’.
Perc & Truss
Spiker Perc Trax Ltd 7.5
Perc’s offshoot operation hosts a hard techno outing from Truss and the label owner. ‘Clapacid’ features those distorted drums that Truss is so fond of, while the title track and ‘Broken’ are militant affairs, led by wailing sirens and grainy kicks.
Black Octagons Houndstooth 8.5
Fusing conventional techno with experimental elements is a difficult task, but Call Super rises to the challenge on ‘Black Octagons’. ‘Informer’ has straight kicks and rolling snares, but it’s the de-tuned synth line that makes it so off centre and unusual. Meanwhile, the title track is built on steely electro drums, a stepping rhythm and bursts of machine-gun percussion, but Call Super lets the track break into a dusty synth solo. He has also made one of 2013’s most beautifully wispy pieces of electronic music in the shape of ‘Dewsbury Severance’.
Joey Anderson
Above The Cherry Moon Avenue 66 8.5
As ‘Cherry Moon’ demonstrates, New York producer Joey Anderson’s music is only loosely related to conventional techno. The title track is an abstract affair, its rhythm lopsided and angular as waves of acid and a ponderous vocal slip in and out of the arrangement. ‘Auset’ is even weirder, with gentle, dreamy synths gradually giving way to a lopsided bass before it veers into dreamy ambience. In line with this out-there approach, Vakula delivers a reflective, piano-led take on the title track.
Kurt Baggaley
Line Of Sight Stem 7.5
SANYSDOWNFALL THEORY
01. MUSH ‘Confusion’ Technorama “Perfect warehouse tool.”
02. RODHAD ‘The Wall’ Dystopian “I like the way the synth line changes throughout the track. I love what this
guy does, he never fails.”
03. SEQUENT ‘Wriezen’ Downfall Theory “Deep and dark. It’s a soundtrack to an alien porn movie.”
04. UNBALANCE ‘Rhythm Slave (Steffi Remix)’ Rebalance “Steffi did it again, awesome remix.”
05. CLARO INTELECTO ‘Fighting The Blind Man’ Delsin “The track like no other for Delsin’s 100th release.”
06. FORWARD STRATEGY GROUP ‘We’re Looking For
Manpower’ Perc Trax “The magic track to hypnotise the people on the dancefloor.”
07. RROSE ‘Waterfall (Lucy Remix)’ Eaux “Space trip to another galaxy.”
08. ESPEN LAURITZEN ‘F/T/S’ LDNWHT “Pure ‘90s spirit.”
09. PHASE ‘On The Edge’ Token “Great artist on a great label. Buy on sight!”
10. ANTIGONE ‘Menace Of The Species’ Concrete Music “There’s a deep connection between Paris and Detroit.”
Sanys
Downfall Theory 05 Downfall Theory 8.0
Russian producer Sanys is one of techno’s most promising new names and this fifth installment on his label shows why. Steely drums and raw percussive bursts are combined with dubby basslines and heavy kicks to
Talk about a reinvention: Kurt Baggaley is best-known for his purist electro work under the Scape One guise, but ‘Sight’ sees him take a radically different approach. The groove is stripped- back and the chiming melodies more reminiscent of Efdemin’s sound than Baggaley’s back catalogue. ‘Touching Your Mind’ also brings a surprise in the form of steely drums and low frequency tones, while Legowelt’s remix of ‘Line Of Sight’ is typical Danny Wolfers, a marriage of swaggering jack and tear-jerking synths.
technoREVIEWS
Samuel Kerridge From The Shadows That
Melt The Flesh Downwards
ensure maximum DJ use. However, Sanys is not another simple track merchant; ‘Manipulated’ resonates to the sound of ‘90s hoovers, ‘Survival’ features a relentlessly bleak bassline and ‘AFC’ boasts the darkest acid line this side of Woody McBride.
Stingray 313
NKKtwo2 [Naked Lunch] 8.5
It’s been a while since [Naked Lunch] put out new material, but DJ Stingray makes sure it has been worth the wait. ‘NKKtwo2’ is a typical Sherard Ingram track, its slinky, high-paced electro rhythm based on a powerful sub-bass and jazzy synths. ‘NKKK4_2’ provides a different insight into the Detroit producer’s psyche. It sounds like he has assimilated the sound [Naked Lunch] is best-known for, yielding a chugging, stepping techno track full of splurging acid licks.
The Artist Formerly Known As 19.454.18.5.25.5.18
Spadesdance Clone Jack for Daze 8.5
This unnamed artist used to release music on Frozen Border, and wisely Clone has tapped him for a release. ‘Spadesdance’ is an up-tempo take on minimal house, with pitched-down vocals, detuned tones and firing hats prevailing. Label owner Serge teams up with Alden Tyrell to provide two remixes. Both versions bring the pace down and keep the hypnotic vocal sample, with the duo’s dub version the stronger of the two remixes.
The Parallel
Red Flash EP Singular 8.0
Colin McKeown has put out a small but impressive number of releases as The Parallel, and
9.0
With a title like that, it’s not hard to deduce that Samuel Kerridge’s latest release isn’t a walk in the park. Most of the untitled tracks on the release focus on droning noises, freakish vocal samples and the kind of dark moods that will lead to a lot of sleepless nights. Despite that, nothing can prepare the listener for the barrage of sound on the ‘A1’ track. Pounding drums, a malevolent, droning bass and build after build make it a hugely powerful piece of music, despite the lack of a straight kick-drum.
‘Red Flash’ ranks as one of his best. ‘Access’ is a dreamy synth workout with snares crashing in, while ‘Nov’ sees him venture into Carl Craig-style soundtrack music, the loose drums and jazzy flourishes revealing a new side to The Parallel. ‘Red Flash Edit’ also opens up new possibilities for McKeown’s deep techno, as subsonic blips pepper the mid- tempo jacking rhythm.
Various Artists
100DSR Delsin 8.0
Dutch label Delsin celebrates its 100th release by dividing a single between established and upcoming producers. Claro Intelecto drops churning, filtered chords that are underscored by a resonating bass and spiky beats, while Unbroken Dub heads to the outer limits for the droning, aptly- named ‘Spacing’. However, it’s Gerry Read who impresses most here and ‘Fighting The Blind Man’ is full of the twitchy abstractions and rhythmic curve-balls of ‘90s producers like Stasis and InSync. It’s a fitting tribute to one of Europe’s techno institutions.
djmag.com 067
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