Function At Juno Download

Review: It seems incredible to think that despite his nearly 20 years of production experience, Dave Sumner hasn't released a full Function album until now. Thankfully Incubation proves it's been well worth the wait with the Sandwell District member really stretching his legs out for one of those techno albums that is most definitely an album experience. This nine track set bristles with great ideas and murky atmospherics, combining dystopian sci-fi soundtrack textures with the precision techno he's become known for. There are robust dancefloor tracks - see the murky acid techno of "Against The Wall" and sweaty "Modifier" - but also moments of intense, melodic beauty, from the crystalline bliss of "Counterpoint", to the dreamy hypnotism of "Inter (album version)".

Review: Releasing Obsessed on a label other than Sandwell District must have felt strange to Function. However, like "Ember", the US producer's final outing for the now defunct imprint, "Obsessed" is an understated affair. Closer to early Speedy J and Warp's Intelligent Techno series than the austere rhythms of Sandwell, its dreamy synths unravel to reveal a cacophony of bleeps and a lithe rhythm that never quite makes it onto the dance floor. Substance's version starts in a similar vein, but the Berlin producer maintains a wiry, minimal rhythm throughout, which acts as the basis for a gradual shift into grinding metallic riffs. Scuba's SCB edit is the most dance floor friendly track, the snappy, hissing percussion and stacatto, clattering drums underpinning an effective, building filter.