Review: Kirk Degiorgio returns with his signature sound, inspired by the early UK techno scene he helped pioneer. His new album lands on De:tuned, a label dedicated to preserving that very sound and the ongoing creativity of its originators. AsOne, one of Degiorgio's many aliases, has endured, and longtime fans will be delighted with the approach taken on this new long player. However, satisfaction also requires a sense of progression, as this has always been music focused on the future. Degiorgio manages to keep his sound moving forward, incorporating richer production and luxurious melodic sensibilities to deliver a mature and immersive brand of techno. It is suited for both armchair escapism and dancefloor immersion. With its blend of nostalgia and innovation, Degiorgio's latest release is sure to satisfy techno enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
Review: De:tuned is the perfect home for Kirk Degiorgio's As One project, where his steeped history in deep, emotive techno and affinity for jazz melds into some of the most stunning machine soul out there. If you're familiar with the sound you'll be instantly sold on these tracks - they don't just ape a bygone sound like so many are doing with that early 90s UK techno vibe. These pieces take that approach and elevate it - the production soars and the expression comes through in startling high-definition, and that goes for the stellar remixes from Ian O'Brien and Luke Slater in The 7th Plain mode as well.
Review: Deep summer electro warmth and cool breezy vibes all the way from '92 flown in by Nuron for the De:tuned label, a collective outta Belgium reanimating the halcyon sounds of electro's nascent beginnings. Last heard in the early-to-mid '90s with a smattering of clandestine tracks and releases, De:tuned reintroduces the sound of Nuron with the all-inspired La Source EP. Full bodied drum machines, kosmische and alt-pop melodies underpin the new romance of deeper '80s synths and voyaging electro atmospheres in three tracks that sound like Cybotron remixing Fatima Yamaha's "What's A Girl To Do". Direct!
Review: Usually, De:tuned puts out reissues, so Communion marks something of a departure for the label. It's Kirk Degiorgio's first studio album in 15 years under the As One project, and as befits its heritage, it's a gloriously widescreen affair. There's the dreamy ambience of "Absorption Spectra" and both "Downburst" and "Irimias" fuse similar sound scapes with brittle electro back beats. "The Ladder" sees Degiorgio push farther in the Detroit techno direction, guided on the way by out space blips, while the serene "Aimpoint" is redolent of the deeper than deep ambient-techno sound he explored on the classic As One album, Reflections. It's a timeless work.
John Beltran - "Nineteen Eighty Nine" - (5:12) 127 BPM
Nu Era - "The North View" - (5:55) 128 BPM
Review: Most box-set releases tend to focus on reissues and re-releases, but on Brainbox De:tuned opts for a different approach. The compilation features artists who defined European techno and electronica's golden age during the 90s, but the Belgian label has commissioned new or unreleased material from these acts. Fans of that era will be thrilled by B12's moody electro, the raw, analogue warmth of John Beltran's "Nineteen Eighty Nine" and the resonating bass-y techno of In:Sync's "Crack in the World". While not every track impresses - Move D's contribution sounds tepid - there are enough jaw-dropping piece of music on this compilation, witness the autumnal majesty of as One's "Where Did He Go & Why" to make Brainbox an essential release.
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