Review:
The closure last year of the Sandwell District has left a gaping void in the droning techno sound - can upcoming artist Mattias Fridell help to plug it with the unwieldy sounding Paradigm Contamination EP? Certainly on "Rhine Maiden", it sounds like the spirit of Function and Regis is present. Over an eerie but forceful bass, Fridell drops a tapestry of bleeps and tonal sounds that is reminiscent of Sandwell at its most menacing. "Klein Point" is heavier and perhaps less immediate as broken beats and a slamming, fractured rhythm supports hissing percussive licks and a chugging filter. But he moves back to esoteric club techno on "Pertaining To The Vintage", where a pulsing bass sweeps along underpinning whooshing atmospheric textures.