Review: This an altogether epic offering from Deetron; a vast collection of un-mixed tracks from his brilliant DJ Kicks mix (naturally included as a bonus cut) that is little less than a lesson in the evolution of techno over the last three decades. Amongst the 38 tracks you'll find fine representatives of a myriad of sub-genres (intelligent techno, dub techno, IDM, ambient techno, gospel techno, and so on), as well as past, present and future classics (Damier and Trent's "Morning Factory", Spacetime Continuum's "Swing Factory", Mark Ernestus's recent Equinoxx remix, the Motor City bliss of Rhythim is Rhythim AKA Derrick May's "Ka-o-tic Harmony", a brilliant old Black Dog Productions workout). In other words, it's a breathlessly brilliant collection of both well-known and obscure gems. It comes heartily recommended.
Review: It seems to strange, in 2019, to think that Robert Hood was once best known for dark, pounding techno, such has been the success of his more house- and gospel-inspired Floorplan project in recent years. This third long-player finds the father-and-daughter duo in fine fettle, serving up 10 cuts that marry house and disco's sense of groove and musicality to the dancefloor energy that Hood learned during his Underground Resistance years, with wailing church organs helping to provide the album's standout moments on tracks like 'Dance Floor' and 'His Eye Is On The Sparrow'. An uptempo, genre-defying triumph.
Review: Proving conclusively that the devil does not own the exclusive rights to all the best tunes, Floorplan deliver another stormer in the shape of So Glad/I Feel Him Moving. "So Glad" is an example of Robert Hood's project at its finest, with joyous gospel vocals unfolding over a pumping house track. Hitting spiritual as well as dance floor highs, it's a classic slice of feel-good Floorplan music. On "I Feel Him Moving", the Detroit producer opts for a somewhat more melancholic approach. Haunting organs and a driving rhythm led by crashing snares come together to support a preacher man vocal sample that fits perfectly with the musical accompaniment.
Review: Robert Hood has just put out an artist album under his own name for Dutch label Dekmantel. However, that release doesn't seem to have put paid to his Floorplan schedule, and he returns with this religiously themed release. The title track follows the same approach as usual for Floorplan, with the Detroit producer laying down a bumping, tracky rhythm and a screeching gospel diva vocal. On "Made Up in My Mind' and on a new 'Lyric' remix of 'Never Grow Old', a similar aesthetic applies, with uplifting piano keys and bouncy grooves providing the backing for euphoric vocals. The only exception is the jarring, grinding "'He Can Save You", but in general, this is a deeply spiritual affair.
Review: Robert Hood's second album as Floorplan sees him hone in on disco, gospel and house influences to create a proper big room collection. As the driving, disco-loop heavy "Spin" and the ridiculously catchy "Music" demonstrate, the Detroit producer has stripped Floorplan of its techno influences. However, this does't mean he has simplified his message; accompanying the religious vocals on "The Heavens & The Earth" is a hypnotic organ riff, the slightly less pious "Good Thang" is a riotous siren-heavy jacker in the Reese tradition, and "He Can Save You", with its dense primal rhythm is reminiscent of Green Velvet as his madcap best. Hood may have chosen God, gospel and disco over the minimal nation, but he still knows how to lead his people onto the dancefloor.
Review: A taster for Robert Hood's second Floorplan album, this EP puts a spotlight on the radical nature of his musical transformation. On "Music", the visceral rhythms of techno minimalism are gone; in their place is a rolling, tracky groove that boasts a repetitive vocal loop and which has shades of classic Relief /Derrick Carter. "Tell You No Lie" is even more impressive. It sees Hood use a gospel vocal over a stomping, funk guitar-sampling disco house workout. There is an audibly religious dimension to "Tell You No Lie," but Hood's knack for writing a great tune means that it sounds celebratory rather than self-indulgent or preachy.
Review: Robert Hood's Floorplan project was one of the most inspired musical reinventions of recent times, and it showed that the Detroit producer does driving house just as well as visceral, minimal techno. On this new version of "Never Grow Old", Hood picks up the pace and fuses the original's gospel vocals with eerie organ keys. "Phobia" is much tougher and is like a halfway house between Hood's harder techno and this side project's lighter side. Dense, tough drums provide the backing for chugging, searing riffs. It could be the sound of a ghost train leaving the platform and leading the listener to another imaginary world that Hood has created.
Review: M-Plant boss Robert Hood rounds out another prolific year with one final Floorplan single featuring two tracks that seem to represent the project's nascent beginnings and where it's at now. "Phobia" could almost be an offcut from Paradise, the album Hood released as Floorplan earlier this year, featuring many of the sonic hallmarks that made it so memorable. Meanwhile "Glory B" jackhammers along with a sampled preacher for company in a fashion similar to early Floorplan gem "Funky Souls" though admittedly the production values are a lot more refined. Sandwiched in-between is a typically booming Ben Sims remix of Paradise album cut "Higher!" which is set to feature on the producer's forthcoming mix CD for Fabric.
Review: Given his phenomenal track record and no-nonsense approach, the arrival of a new Robert Hood album - albeit under his alternative Floorplan alias - should send a tingle of excitement down the spine of any self-respecting techno connoisseur. Paradise, his first album as Floorplan, largely eschews the intergalactic flavours of 2012's Motor: Nighttime World 3 (we say largely, as the hypnotic "Change" is undeniably Detroitian in outlook), in favour of tracks that take his rolling, stripped-back aesthetic in a variety of different directions. So, we get the funk-sampling "Baby, Baby", the soulful shuffle of "Never Grow Old" (deep house techno, anyone?), and the rush-inducing, piano-laden blast of "Confess". Impeccable... as usual.
Review: It sounds like Rob Hood could be a victim of his own success. Floorplan, which started off as a side-project, is starting to sound as vital as the searing minimal techno he releases under his own name. The title track is a perfect example of Hood's tough approach to house music; over an insistent groove a building chord sweeps in, taking with it a repetitive vocal sample. But it's the nagging, relentless filtering of these elements, coupled with the deep resonance of the backing rhythm that make "Ego" so memorable. "Confess" is an entirely different proposition; the groove chugs along and the percussion is dry and steely but the keys are positively uplifting and wide-eyed, like they were borrowed from a long-lost rave track and reapplied to Hood's functional take on house.
Review: This much anticipated EP on his own M Plant label sees Detroit legend Robert Hood continue to develop to his Floorplan alias after the recent Living It Up single. "We Magnify His Name" is a peak time piano driven anthem which is as religious an experience to listen to as its name suggests, complete with uplifting gospel vocals carrying the whole thing into the heavens. Up next, Hood explores his darker techno tendencies over two tracks. "Baby Baby" relies more on a cut up vocal sample and a slightly wobbling Motor City leaning bassline and a Model 500 style funk swing to it, provided in no small part by a particularly great guitar lick, while tension and release is offered in spades by a well placed horn sample. "Basic Priciple" meanwhile is a druggier affair, propelled by its murky sub bass and techno stabs, the only melody coming from a particularly sinister two note organ line.
Review: Two of techno's biggest names team up for this slamming release. First up, UK veteran Mark Broom delivers a 'dubplate' take on the Flooorplan standard "Never Grow Old". Broom focuses his efforts on snippets of the original vocal and wraps them around a dramatic chord build, making for a fine peak-time workout. Broom's own "Jungle" is next: like a streamlined version of his tribal techno work from the early 00s, a niggling filter and insistent claps weave their way in and out of the rolling rhythm. Hood also drops his own original material with "He Can Save You (Re-plant)", where a preacher man-style vocal is laid over a hammering, grainy rhythm and rickety back beats.
Review: Demonstrating again that techno is a deeply political art form, the latest release from Robert Hood was produced against the backdrop of recent events in the US. On "The Struggle", which Hood has put out under his own name, the Detroit artist fuses a searing acid backing track with a sample of a speech from activist Tamika Mallory about police brutality, which was given in the days following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Shifting to his Floorplan alias, Hood continues to focus on politics; sampling a speech by comedian and activist Dick Gregory, "Save The Children" is realised in its original format as a disco-charged stomper, while there is also a chord-heavy Detroit take included.
Review: British techno veterans Jonas Stone and Oliver Way have pulled off something of a coup here, not only by persuading Robert Hood to appear on their EPM Music imprint, but also by including a track from the Detroit legend's Floorplan alias (amazingly, Hood has previously kept the two projects entirely separate). Naturally, both tracks hit home hard. "Shaker" is prime Hood - an intoxicating, no-holds-barred techno looper built around a killer groove, foreboding chords and occasional vocal samples. On the Floorplan side, Hood reaches for the gospel organs, filtering and looping them up over a thunderous kick drum and typically relentless ride cymbals. As usual with Hood Floorplan material, there's enough soul in the machines to impress even the pickiest techno buyer.
Review: London distributor, PR/DJ agency and all-round nice guys EPM celebrate 10 years in business with a compilation that features some of electronic music's most respected names. Italo veteran Alexander Robotnick delivers the tear-jerking melodies of "Running About", while Rob Hood, working as Floorplan, delivers the looped disco meets Chicago house jack of "Move It". There is austere techno courtesy of Mark Broom and James Ruskin on the restrained, bleepy minimal "Merz" and Sandwell District's dub meets chilling strings workout "Live in Berlin", while RadioNasty drops the woozy bass and elector breaks of "Radio 3". All these contributions display EPM's flawless underground credentials, while they may have a mainstream club hit on their hands in the shape of the shimmering strings, plaintive keys and Ibiza-friendly groove of Marius's "Jet Set".
