Forward Strategy Group At Juno Download

Review: FSG pick up where their killer debut left off and deliver another EP of bass heavy, experimental, modern techno. Out on their own imprint, "Applied Generics" combines a totally fresh and unique sound with the spirit of industrial techno to bring the kind of record that acts like Sandwell District, Basic Channel, MDR and Hardwax Techno Axis have been forging in the fires of underground techno.

The Glasgow based outfit burrow deeper and deeper into their smoggy brand of UK industrial techno. Splitting the disciplines of Berlin minimalism and dark-wave techno from the UK, FSG find their own sound in their combination of sinister tonal shifts and robust techno mechanics.

"Applied Generics A" lingers with a dystopian spirit and hollowed temper that is evoked by barbed synth lines that brood in the background as a skanking tech beat shifts along the soundscape of a radioactive fallout. "Applied Generics B" is still lost in the murky underbelly of this dark environment but this time lets a pounding beat escape into the little air the track is afforded. Barely audible noises combine with raw patterns of hi-hats and snares whilst a struggling melody can't quite the power to breakdown the industrial sound. Continuing with a thumping 4/4 "Applied Generics D" plays out over coarsely textured rhythms that cause frictions with deep, mechanical synth stabs. Bringing the EP to a close, "Applied Generics C" has a raw, bass heavy sound with a vicious attitude. It's menacing low end morphs and ebbs as the beat pounds away. Following a brief breakdown, proceedings turn yet denser still as more layers of bass flood the low end.

Review: Patrick Walker and Al Mathews may have made their name as FSG with the intense drum loops of Applied Generics, but they're clearly keen to expand their range. The title track is built on metal drums that drop like lead weights on the arrangement and are supported by enormous claps. The pace is slower but the intensity is not lost, and the same can be said about "Mandate". There, grungy industrial riffs slither in and out of dead paced broken beats before FSG welcome spooky ambient textures on "A Greyed Out Life". Perc Trax have managed to attract Factory Floor as remixers and their take on "Nihil Novi" fuses mellow synth lines with rigid beats and drums while Nik Void's solo take is all dark pulsing low ends and hissing hats.