Elastic Dreams At Juno Download

Review: The incognito A Sagittariun returns for their third outing on Elastic Dreams, and it's the best EP from the producer yet. "Wind Tunnel" is a hypnotic cut, as sizzling leads rise and intersect from the murky ether, while "Cyrannus 247" takes a good three minutes to get started, throwing organic percussion over a slick arpeggio, before morphing into something much deeper. "West Of Ophiuchus" and "Somewhere In Montpelier" both see the producer deliver their own warm take on early Detroit techno, as sci-fi pads go against loose, punchy drums.

Review: Apparently the work of a big-name producer who wants to keep his real identity a secret, "Circle" does a fine job of merging classic sounds with contemporary flavours. The title track is populated by spine-tingling acidic licks and powerful bass surges, but the underlying rhythm is stripped back as stuttering minimal beats take hold. "Telepathic Heights" offers a similar approach, with stripped back beats underpinning a soaring bass and Chicago-style doubled up claps. The release is also notable because it sees Berlin techno producer Mike Dehnert in more reflective mood than usual; his 'mellow remix' of circle as MD2 is all swirling rhodes keys and plinky-plonk bass, but he returns to typical form with the Basic Channel-style chords and distorted beats of the MD2 "hard" version.

Review: Arriving back in late 2011, A Sagittarium brandished a fully formed blend of house and techno and a cloak of mystery, and both elements have remained intact across the smattering of material that has surfaced in the subsequent period. A Transparent Mind is a fine return for A Sagittarium pairing two original productions against remixes from Marco Bernardi and Aubrey. "Eye Against Eye" demonstrates just why so many people lap up these Elastic Dreams releases, arising from cinematic beginnings into a unique sounding array of deep pads, cavernous bass stabs and slowed down but still eminently rolling jungle breaks. Mr Bernardi switches the mood from dream laden to nightmarish on his crunchy lo fi remix which will appeal to adoptees of the Jamal Moss school of thinking. The wonderfully named "Funky Archer" meanwhile is pure intergalactic bliss, with crisp 808 programming rising delightfully over a bed of interplanetary gurgles and streamlined synths. Again the source is flipped on its head in superlative fashion, as Aubrey transforms the track into a reverberant, clanking, yet still very funky techno track.