Review: Troy is back on Klockworks with an expertly crafted EP, featuring his signature sound across four highly effective dance floor cuts of gnarly, raw, yet groovy techno. The Dutch producer created the tracks using his beloved OB6 synth, which has been his go-to synth since his last EP on Klockworks. The EP kicks off with "Zenith," a nod to the classic Berlin sound, featuring rattling dub chords and hypnotic synth smears. With its grainy and lo-fi aesthetic, it's a track that's hard to resist. "The Rite" picks up the pace with speedy, intricate drum programming and pulsing synth stabs that keep the listener on edge. "Tzeentch" takes a similar path, but with the addition of distant lights that hint at an urban metropolis. Finally, "Stormveil" closes the EP with a paranoid techno roller that's both muscular and mystical. With its finely crafted production and irresistible grooves, Troy's latest offering is sure to get fans moving on the dance floor.
Review: Last year's fourth volume of the From the Vault series was largely an in-house affair, but for the fifth edition, Dynamic Reflection opts for a wider approach, bringing newcomers into the fold. It means that there are deep techno contributions from Cocoon producer Kevin De Vries' "Samarev" sitting beside spaced out dub tracks from Italy's Tozzy. Despite this proliferation of newer artists, Part V also plays host to familiar names. These include Stefan Vincent in reflective mode on "Torch" and label founders Abstract Division, whose "Metropolis" is turned into a solemn but beautiful slice of underground techno by former Sandwell District founder Function.
Review: For the fourth instalment of its From The Vault series, Paul Boex' label opts for a less banging than usual approach. Area Forty One's 'Sunday Morning cut' of Abstract Division's "Deformation" sets the tone for the release with its deep groove, while Deepbass & Ness come together to create the rolling groove and atmospheric tones of "Flight 103". Stefan Vincent's contribution, "Aro", is similarly deep, with some tropical samples embedded in its lithe rhythm, while remixers Milton Bradley and Delta Funktionen also use the opportunity to take Abstract Division on a more esoteric path. In the case of the former, it is articulated on the churning, dubby "Shifted Reality", while on the latter's re-work of "Floating Point", a jerky, angular rhythm prevails.
Review: From the prolific Dutch label comes this high-quality compilation. It starts, somewhat inauspiciously, with the serene ambience of JaBBurg's "Summit", but soon after that plunges into the kind of streamlined techno that Paul Boex's imprint excels at. Deepbass & Ness' "Proximity" is a tough tribal track and Voidloss' "Moment Of Total Emptiness" follows in a similar vein, albeit with some hypnotic tones thrown into the dense rhythms. The Jeroen Search take on Tim Wolff's "Backstage Fridge" is reminiscent of late 90s Sterac mixed with Silent Servant as woozy chords are mixed with functional, loopy rhythms. Paul Boex himself also impresses with "Hate is Love" remixed here by Oscar Mulero, bringing the compilation to an urgent, acid-heavy climax.
Review: The latest release on the Dutch label provides a seductively bleak take on techno. Troy's "Andon 1" is a bleak affair, its hissing percussion and waves of spaced out bleeps supported by heavy kicks. It sounds like an ultra-functional version of Sleeparchive. The second "Andon" follows in a similar vein, although here the groove is trackier and Troy swathes it in an acid cloak. "Friction" sees him ease up on the austerity, its drums looser with a house sound, but soon enough the release swings back towards frozen minimalism courtesy of Tim Wolff's reduced take on "Andon 1".
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