Mote Evolver At Juno Download

Review: Now this is a bit special. Luke Slater's Mote Evolver launches the Parallel series, the concept being that two contrasting but complementing artists drop a brace of tracks each on the one release.First up, US based Englishman ASC (real name James Clements), known primarily for his forward thinking D&B excursions, turns in two whopping techno cuts. The relentless guttural throb of "Slow Burn" is offset by some slapping synths and barely there vocal snippets, kind of what we'd expect a studio jam between Levon Vincent and Boddika to sound like. This is complemented by the more liquid tones of "Transit", a reverb-laden throbber with menacing sonar bleeps piercing the swampy atmospherics. Up next, Slater adopts his seldom seen L.B.Dub Corp guise for "Lurcher's Dub" and "Native Dub", with the cavernous sub-bass and twinkling keys of the former demanding play on an implausibly large soundsytem.

Review: Luke Slater's label proves yet again that it's an indispensable filter for those seeking out hard-edged techno. "Howl" by Bas Mooy sets the pace, with a dense groove and pounding beats underpinned by a growling, predatory bass and rivulets of stainless steel percussion. Mooy's "Wesp" is derived from similar sources, but on this occasion the malevolent drums and shrieking riffs are paired up with a raw, growling bassline. Chris Finke's "Sleep When You're Dead" explores a new dimension, with a menacing bassline derived from the extreme end of ebm and industrial. But soon afterwards, Finke reverts to a purer sound and the clanking metallic rhythms of "Euphemism" complete the release.

Review: The latest Mote Evolver release sees a collaboration so obviously perfect its amazing its taken this long, as Stroboscopic Artefacts boss Lucy and Sandwell District alumnus Silent Servant team up for two tracks of precision techno which supposedly sees the pair using digital and analogue elements together to combine Lucy's ability to tell a story with Silent Servant's mastery of noise and distortion. "Dormancy Survivors" sees a steadily rolling rhythm slowly layered up with bright dub chords and echoing chimes, while white hot noise swells in the background. "Victors History" takes a much moodier approach from the off, as a dubby bass deflects bouncing stabs while clockwork percussion drifts in and out of range, before progressing into full blown cinematic techno towards the finish.

Review: Luke Slater brings Berghain resident and Ostgut Ton label mate Marcel Fengler to his own Mote Evolver imprint to administer some of the heavy, driving techno that has brought the German techno success. "Thwack" sees a myriad of raw beats and mechanical sounds exploring Fengler's often abrasive style. Ploughing unstoppably forward, this is techno at its most purposeful. "Sculptures" is intensely hypnotic, twisting a wonky yet funky groove from heavy industrial atmospherics. Mote Evolver is on a roll at the moment - long may it continue.