Mark Rogan At Juno Download

Review: Newcomer Rogan will do M_Rec's reputation no harm with three incendiary dark techno cuts. Like Jeff Mills jamming with Samuli Kemppi and Par Grindvik, this three-tracker is functional and austere, yet contains enough subtle touches and flourishes to set it apart from most contemporary techno releases. "Silhouettes" is a straightforward affair, with Rogan dropping relentless stabs over a pummeling rhythm. In a lesser producer's hands, the bursts of white noise that appear sporadically would sound like a cliche, but Rogan makes it work. Better still is "Shadows", a slower, more grinding groove that doesn't lose the granite weight beats, while "Reflections" is like a halfway house, its tough, pumping framework offset by eerie chord sequences.