Aiken At Juno Download

Review: M_REC keep their foot firmly planted on their 2012 pedal by releasing Spanish producer Aiken's Balance EP, his first release for the label which includes a special remix from UK techno luminary Regis. Aiken's "First Balance" is as trippy and melodic as it is well travelled. A continuous synth loop journeys through a smattering of white noise and hissing percussion, but remains devoid of cheesiness. "Second Balance" is more gracious than the first, although slightly disturbing - think Italian horror film composer Claudio Simonetti meets Jeff Mills Something In The Sky series. Regis' remix hunches the original from its sleek invention, creating a grubby translation of insect chatter and workshop percussion. "Third Balance" is the most visceral of the three as a hectic loop creates a sharp and deranged mantra - proceed with caution.

Review: Newcomer Aiken impresses with a dramatic take on Detroit techno. "Experiment" features evocative chords, but it's the snappy percussion and slightly off-beat rhythms that make it sound so individualistic. "Hypotesis" is more 90s sounding as Aiken drops beautiful melodies over a hissing percussive backdrop, but he forges his own path again on "Conclusion". The chords are darker, the percussion shaky and the filtering more dramatic as the riffs climax and then break down again. By contrast, the Arcitectural remix of "Conclusion" offers wave upon wave of serene ambience and it's only after four and a half minutes that the beats finally kick in. It's a fitting end to this diverse deep techno release.