Techno

All posts tagged Techno

Octal Industries "Himinglæva"

Posted by Tony on 12/27/2013

I’ve been looking to purchase a record called “DeepChord vs. Octal Industries ‎– Arrival / Departure” for a while now.  It’s quite a rare disc, limited to 100 or 200 copies I think.  I fancy the translucent orange pressing, but they’re a bit thin on the ground at the moment (anyone selling?).

After the release of that particular record, DeepChord branched out and became the defacto dub-techno 2.0 act of 2011, with releases on major labels and the occasional interesting track (check out DeepChord HR-01!).  Octal Industries on the other hand, seemingly disappeared into nothingness. – remembered only by sad techno heads with the 192kbps scene ripped MP3 (i.e. me).

As it turns out Octal Industries didn’t disappear as much as he pulled out of the scene to work on an album and a new disc.  When I found this out I was optimistic, I snapped up the disc without as much as a listen to the previews.  Therein lies my mistake.

Octal Industries “Himinglæva” isn’t a bad record, it’s just utterly unremarkable. Boring, even. Mr. Industries has forgotten that we loved the popping little beat that underpinned his most recognisable release, and instead has focused on dropping us into a reverb chamber of vst synthesis and unrealised ideas.

Monotonous and dull sounding, totally forgettable. Still, the packaging is very nicely done.



Leave a Comment

Ripatti Music?

Posted by Tony on 07/20/2013

Two interesting links popped up today on VladislavDelay.com – “Ripattimusic (Label)” and “Ripattimusic (Artist)”. I have little to no clue about either of these, but if I had to guess I’d say that Sasu is either setting up a new label or imprint for his music focused on digital distribution, or it will be an offshoot used primarily for installations and film projects. But as I said, purely a guess.


Either way, keep your eyes on VladislavDelay.com and ripattimusic.com in the coming weeks as it is set to be something very interesting.



3 comments

Sasu Ripatti & Mark Fell "Sensate Focus 1.666666666"

Posted by Tony on 07/10/2013

I don’t know very much about this Mark Fell guy, and even his alter-ego ‘SND’ doesn’t ring too many bells. I vaguely recall some SND tracks being present on some of the “Clicks & Cuts” CDs I’ve got, but they’ve clearly left no real lasting impression. They’re neither good enough to recall nor terrible enough to irk me still.

Post Clicks & Cuts digitalism era (and while my back was turned), it seems Mark Fell has somewhat reinvented himself; new name, new label, new agenda. In fact, I’m not sure if the SND thing still happens and to be frank, I’m not even interested enough to check. So in short sighted opinion, Sensate Focus/Mark Fell is just one of a million IDM producers trying to survive the post Mille Plateaux world.

You can imagine my forehead-slapping disappointment then, when I read on Vladislav Delay’s website that the two were teaming up together. Would this end up being another ‘Luomo vs. Dominico Ferrari’ record? Technically proficient but altogether a little too soulless?

In order to find out I paid my €15 ticket price for the 12”. A record and a free pencil for €15? How could I refuse? (No, I don’t know why it ships with a free pencil, nor do I know what I’ll do with it – but apparently I’m just that easily swayed into parting with my money).

I waited with bated breath for the release date. Then it was pushed back almost two months, so I said ‘fuck it’ and downloaded it instead. (It should be added that during writing this I received an email with my ‘official’ download code and confirmation that my record and pencil were on the way!).

So what you get for your money, excluding the pencil, is two tracks ‘X’ and ‘Y’. Not a lot of thought gone into that one, but apparently it’s what Mr. Fell likes to title his music nowadays. Fair enough, fair enough.

Sasu Ripatti & Mark Fell "Sensate Focus 1.666666666"

Sasu Ripatti & Mark Fell “Sensate Focus 1.666666666”

It’s at this point in the article where I should cleverly change tone with the use of a rhetorical and self referential statement and tell you that the music is actually very good – but I’m not smart enough to do that. I’ll just have to tell you in plain old English that both sides of this disc are just magic! 🙂

Sasu Ripatti & Mark Fell “Sensate Focus 1.666666666” is post moderne house – I hate myself for typing that, but there’s no other way to describe it. It reminds me of the wonderful AGF/Dlay production “Return Of Us” – chopped and minimalistic, but quite uniquely styled nonsense.

There’s focused clarity in it’s execution and is one of the best written electronic pieces in recent memory. There’s no ‘fluff’, it simply a perfect and modern twist on laser accurate two-step, stripped to the core. And as can now be expected from a VD production, it’s perfectly mixed and edited.

Both tracks are hyper repetitive, and clock in at over ten minutes each. Y is probably the most interesting of the two, stuttering and wonky vocal snippets falling over an oddly timed, modern beat. Both track rely on micro improvisation and solid structure to keep the listener’s interests, and neither track fails to impress. The level of confidence and competence on display is remarkable. Every strike is deliberate and taught, and its all handled with a deft hand and serious tone… It just sounds so timeless yet contemporary. What a great record!

Impressed as I was with this production, I decided to investigate a little further into the Sensate Focus thing. There’s six or seven releases in total and they’re all fairly interesting a nice. 1.66666666 by far the greatest release so far, but if you enjoy the idea of Main Street Records reincarnated for the twenty first century, or a glimpse into what modern house should be using as a template, Sensate Focus is well worth listening too.
🙂



2 comments

The Rhythmic State "Soap On A Rope (Hype Remix)"

Posted by Tony on 06/10/2013

There are very few arguably perfect pieces of music.  Music that effectively ends a genre by providing the final answer that everyone else searched for.  It was Luomo who perfected modern house music with “The Present Lover”, and Bowie’s “Hunky Dory” perfected rock/pop.  Miles Davis’ ‘Kind Of Blue’ is an undeniable example of perfection wrapped in jazz, just as Underworld’s ‘Second Toughest In The Infants’ perfected the techno genre in one fell swoop.  Nas showed us in 1994 that hiphop need search no longer for flawlessness, while back in Scotland, The Rhythmic State “Soap On A Rope (Hype Remix)” was released.

There’s also the less celebrated examples of perfection, made redundant by existing in genres that were passing trends and fashions.  The Artful Dodger “Rewind” single-handedly introduced the world the crazy fucked up two-step garage as Mark Morrison perfected the UK R&B sound (yes, I’m serious).

But underneath even these, obscured and hidden away from anyone fortunate enough not to be stuck in the West Of Scotland in the early 90’s (which can only be remembered only with a bitter/sweet fondness) is something of equal perfection.

Ladies and gentlemen, I kindly present to you what is in my opinion the epithet of perfection in hardcore.  This is The Rhythmic State “Soap On A Rope (Hype Remix)”.  Yes, it’s called Soap On A Road, and no, unfortunately I don’t know what that means.

The Rhythmic State "Soap On A Rope (Hype Remix)"

The Rhythmic State “Soap On A Rope (Hype Remix)”

Enjoy five and a half minutes of bouncing, chomping silliness and remember – music like this can’t be made now without a sense of irony and self-awareness that never seemed to exist in the 90s, and that even now that only the hippest of hipsters possess.

Just like Davis’ “Kind Of Blue” or Nas’ “Illmatic”, Soap On A Rope (Hype Remix) cannot be replicated in any way.  The difference is, it’s a forgotten piece, forever lost in time and long out of fashion.  In both a blessing and a curse, it won’t appear on the “Best Of the 90’s” CD, nor will it be used in TV adverts to nostalgia-rob 30-somethings.

Enjoy it for what it is, and for what it was.

The Rhythmic State “Soap On A Rope (Hype Remix)”



Leave a Comment

Blawan "His He She & She"

Posted by Tony on 10/12/2012

Blawan is a little known dance floor techno artist hailing from somewhere down towards the south of England. And, for an Englishman, produces some of the best emulations of Glasgow techno I’ve ever heard. Blawan’s latest EP, confusingly entitled “His He She & She” is causing a bit of a split in the audience. You see, the a-side is quickly becoming the definition of a “love it or hate it” record – there is no middle ground here.

The track in question is brilliantly (you can already tell what side of the fence I sit) titled “Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage”. It’s a pulsing, heavy, 4/4 stomping, with the weirdest hook I’ve heard in a wee while. Everything is detuned, everything is an octave too low, and everything for want of a better phrase, is fucked up. The drums gulp awkwardly, I can’t work out a single not of the music, and the vocal progressively becomes more demonic as the track continues (ok, it’s just a ring modulator but it’s used to stunning effect here).

The critics seem to think this is a tongue-in-cheek production, but I genuinely can’t hear that. I mean, it is a bit like if The Munsters made techno, or if The Monster Mash was given a good four to the floor techno rework, but does that really sound bad to anyone? I’ll admit, the artwork is a little too OFWGKTA for my liking, but other than that I have a real difficulty finding a flaw here.

Occasionally it’s nice to step back from the chin scratching, post modernist, up-it’s-own-arse techno. Blawan isn’t so much a step back, but more of a giant leap back, but he does so with an enthusiasm and energy that not many can approach. If you ask me, this is an absolute must for anyone looking to sample some UK style techno.

There doesn’t seem to be a digital release at the moment, nor is there any signs of one on the cards. So unless you’re willing to part with £9.99 + P&P for a huge plastic disc to be mailed to your house, like a bloody caveman, regrettably you’ll miss this. It is genuinely worth the hassle of trying to find though – mark my words, the price of this record will rocket in the next few months assuming it’s never released digitally.

Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage? Under My Garage / Under My Garage / Under My Garage?

edit: You’ve already missed this, it’s sold out. Excellent.



Leave a Comment

Vladislav Delay "Latoma EP"

Posted by Tony on 06/30/2011

After a hat-trick of disappointing projects (two Mortiz Von Oswald albums, one Vladislav Delay Quartet) Vladislav Delay has quietly released a new EP entitled ‘Latoma’ (no, I have no idea what it means either). Consisting of two new tracks and one remix, we’re treated to almost twenty-five minutes of dub techno.  But after so many self-indulgent, wank filled ambient releases that have had Delay’s name attached to them, has he lost his way somewhat?

Nope.

Vladislav Delay "Latoma EP"

Vladislav Delay “Latoma EP”

The first two tracks featured on this EP are absolutely superb, and the best listen I’ve had in some time. The title track features a Steve Reich-inspired sustained chord attack pinned down with Delay’s now trademark monotone bass line and sporadic flutters of acoustic percussion that slowly swell to engulf the entire piece.  It’s minimal dub in a sense, but so much more than that.

Think of ‘Multila’ style writing, but with ‘Demo(n) Tracks’ tireless studio effort.  Everything being created and destroyed all at once, with the most deft execution imaginable.  It’s a sound scape with a groove, a track that doesn’t subtly suggest artistic integrity, but proves it in every bar with Vladislav’s new confident swagger.

I think a fair measure of an artist is how unique their music is, and upon the first listen to ‘Latoma’, you become acutely aware that no one else in the world could have cut a track like this.

The second track, ‘Korpi’ sways back and forth with a shuffle and groove, welded to the most beautiful tape driven double bass sample.  The groove remains in place throughout the entire piece, accentuated by a few layers of percussion and a resonant/distorted synth key stab.  This track doesn’t so much welcome you as it does suffocate.  There’s no space to breath or move within its depths, and it seizes you with a tight focus which won’t relent until the full six minutes are up.  Honestly, I’ve never heard anything quite like it.

The Ricardo Villalobos and Max Loderbauer remix of Latoma is actually pretty good (despite how much I loath this remix thing everyone does), but I can’t help but feel it could have done better had it lost the Latoma samples, and stood alone as a bonus track.  It has the typical Ricardo Villalobos overly-processed drum sound, but some interesting rhythms to prevent it becoming monotonous. It’s extremely sparse, at some points consisting entirely of a few simple rhythms, but at its peak (about five minutes in, if you ask me) comes together quite nicely.  Despite it’s inaccessibility, sounds to me like a track that was designed for club djs – and that is so old hat.

I say this because there’s about 32 bars of nothing but simple rhythms forming the intro and outro, that add nothing to the experience but to lengthen it considerably.  It does, however sit juxtaposed to the other two tracks, and if nothing else is an interesting little bonus to have.

As a single entity, this EP is essential to anyone interested in experimental music. In one fell swoop it pushes the genre a little further whilst harking back to the early 2000s, when a new release  really held something new and unexplored (if you were around at the beginning of  the ‘Chain Reaction’ movement, you will love this).  It’s one of the very few releases I have heard in the past decade that actually excites me when I listen to it. I get the impression that Mr. Delay was merely warming up his studio with earlier releases, until he felt comfortable enough to create something truly remarkable. Hopefully the new Luomo disc will follow suit.



Leave a Comment