This Week

Review: For an act that had only a few releases to its credit so far, Dadub sound strangely familiar. That's because the Italian duo behind the project, Daniele Antezza and Giovanni Conti, have been responsible for the mastering, production and engineering on the Stroboscopic Artefacts label. So even if their names don't have household status in techno, their work does, and they have played a huge role in contributing to the label's mixture of dub, broken beat and bassy techno. It is also worth noting that they have worked on the Dadub project for four years, and rather than rushing out music so as to gain recognition, they have taken their time to develop the project's output to a fully-formed level. Both of these factors, as well as their love of Lee 'Scratch' Perry, are audible on Moksha. Cavernous textures loom in the foreground on "Perseverance" and "Moksha", but instead of sounding like they are trapped 20,000 fathoms below sea level, the skittish off beats and wiry rhythms lend them some dance floor resonance. Despite this, it would be hard to find a peak-time club that would champion "Beyond the Veil" or "Temptation of Maya". Both evolve gradually and teasingly, with layer upon layer of sounds and textures flowing over twisted, mid-paced rhythms. Like a more reflective version of the Monad series, Way to Moksha is horizontal techno at its finest.

Review: First released on Ben Sims Theory Recordings as a 12" in 2009, Mark Broom's "Things" harks back to the raw and rough aesthetics of 90s techno and rave. Brick wall compression sees Broom's original relentlessly crunch, suck and pump until ravey key stabs big enough to fill a Tiesto sized stadium enter the fray. Broom's VIP mix will cause 90s nostalgia seekers and bright eyed youngsters alike to desperately wave their phone in the DJs face with the words track id? Broom super loops his original, occasionally dropping the kick or bass whilst unashamedly sampling Steve Poindexter's '89 club hit "Work That Mutha Fucker". The NYC mix is a more polished production taking "Things" down a minimal and techy route with strings, climbing blips and square pads all in tow. Paul Mac ups Broom's rave antics by plodding a ravey bass line that gets phatter with every stab against crisp hats, tribal percussion and filtered vocals.