Review: French techno legend Arnaud Le Texier adds to an emphatic 2020 with a return to his Children Of Tomorrow label. Berghain may be lockdown as this is written but its sound lives on through the banging warehouse sonics of peak time beast "Jersey" while the aptly titled "Drums" - full of distortion, detuned hats and fluttering riffs - booms with funk and flux. Workout techno. Gnarly acid lines in "Impact" conjure up visions of that classic rave scene in Blade with the title track here heavy on a percussion loop with its 909s drum machine mechanisms sequenced at full tilt. In Arnaud we trust.
Review: With releases from Zadig, Samuli Kemppi and Terrence Dixon, Children Of Tomorrow has provided a platform for some of techno's most experimental artists. As Sense makes clear, Arnaud Le Texier, the label owner, also belongs to that elite group. "Wrong Planet" starts the release with eerie ambience, before "4 FM" unfolds over a low-key, pulsating groove. On the title track, the French producer picks up the pace to drop a hypnotic, minimal rhythm track, while on "Antidote", and the claustrophobic "Project C", Le Texier creates a dense, mangled dance floor track full of dank low end tones and warped percussion.
Review: It's been interesting to see Le Texier's gradual shift towards purist techno and "Valiant", the first track on this release, could be a Jeff Mills composition. Over gargantuan kicks, he lays down a bleepy sequence that moves up and down the tonal scale. Oscar Mulero's remix is typical of the Spanish producer's sound, with broken beats underscoring a dramatic, building filter that cover the original's bleeps in a dense cloud. "Divergent" sees Le Texier deliver a more intense version of 90s techno and its distorted kicks and merciless claps sound more like Luke Slater than Mills. Mike Storm's ravey take on "Divergent" completes this flawless underground release.
