Review: Outline is Dying & Barakat's third appearance on Knotweed, and once again, it showcases their deep, dance floor-focused take on techno. "Blinded Eyes" resounds to a rolling groove and atmospheric synth melodies, a near perfect balance of weight and depth. "Time to Expand" is a more ominous take on this vision - the kicks are tougher and the synths bristle with menace. The duo also draws on dub influences. "Complex" features chord-heavy textures and clicking drums, with a succession of breakdowns adding to the suspense. The title track provides a fitting finale, as sweeping chords surge over a powerful, rolling rhythm.
Review: Robert Kavanagh aka Mode_1 serves up his fourth release on Knotweed with an inspired EP that is sure to appeal to Detroit techno lovers. Coming across like a more club-focused version of Terrence Dixon, these four tracks are punctuated by eerie textures and stripped back yet insistent rhythms. "Unheard" features chiming bells and a rolling groove, while "Reactor" sees Mode_1 drop a more hypnotic take on this approach, with tight, nagging percussion supporting waves of discordant sound. On "Missing Cable", the sound is deeper, as layered sounds unravel over a bubbling backing, while as its title suggests, "Cascade" features the sound of water trickling over a pared back but insistent rhythm.
Review: As part of Knotweed's ten-year celebrations, Echologist aka Brendon Moeller delivers a dynamic dub techno workout. "Knot Safe" revolves around mesmerising chords that swirl and sway over a stepping, metallic rhythm, while on "Dub Knot", Moeller goes into a more abstract direction, with glitchy percussion underpinning warped samples and reverberating effects. "Knot Twist" sees the veteran producer push farther in this experimental direction, as brooding tones and muffled vocals conjure up a hypnotic soundscape, while on "Double Knot", he makes a return of sorts to the dance floor, as doubled up beats and a broken rhythm support layer upon layer of hypnotic tones.
Review: Myk Derill has been releasing music on Knotweed for a decade, and Suburban Depth sees him showcase his creativity once again. The title track is a low-slung affair, with Derill dropping lead-weight kicks and snappy percussion to create a distinctive, hypnotic track. In stark contrast is "Route Network", where the Knotweed staple drops a gritty, visceral groove that resounds to firing hi hats and noisy, analogue riffs. Derill makes another radical shift in direction on "21 Floor"; featuring deep chords and mysterious vocals combined with dubbed out drums, it is similar to the type of deep house you'd hear on a Detroit label like Sistrum.
Review: Having made his name on a stellar mix for the Modular Expansion Podcast, Dying producer from Buenos Aires, Rodrigo Aguero, makes it to Philippe Petit's Knotweed label outta Chamonix! Keeping it real with a straight up four-track techno EP, Aguero sends in a watertight recipe of stretched, bent and detuned synths that flow between a classic array of '90s inspired techno drums. With some quality electro making it into the lo-fi grain of "Gate 7", the two tracks that hit hardest are the strafing atmospheres and 909 beats of both "Deux Ex Machina" and "Ciudad Incognita". For you harder, more classic yet stripped back bassline techno head straight to "The Last Chance To Survive".
Review: Irish DJ/producer Lee Holman appears for French imprint Knotweed proper, first making his impression on sister label Decision Making Theory (DMT) with the Provider EP last year. The Kawl chief is in fine form on "Class Warfare" nailing that majestic Purposemaker vibe of old with hypnotic chiming melodies but with the added fury of broken beats beneath. Holman really finds his own sound on the next cut "Shifting Axis" which was our definite favourite of the bunch. This dreamy and evocative journey takes in the best of hypnotic techno and IDM and has potential for crossover appeal. Finally, Holman gets back to the program on the grinding cyclicality of "Primary System" fuelled by a Robert Hood style monosynth bassline, ethereal pads and austere rhythm work.
Review: Clark Davis aka Benjamin Holtz has been organising parties and making music for the past 15 years, so he is perfectly qualified to release on Knotweed. Kick-starting this underground EP is "Champagne Kush", where the Hamburg artist bounces a menacing bass against the backdrop of tough but cavernous kicks and dense hand claps. "C3H8NOHP" sees Holtz focus on a more reduced approach; tingling hi hats and repetitive stabs provide the basis for a minimal workout that is equal parts Levon Vincent and Robert Hood. Last but not least, the title track is more understated, with this veteran techno figure deploying garbled vocal samples over a stepping rhythm.
Review: Leghau aka C?dric Rebagliato returns to Knotweed after last year's Criticism with this deeply atmospheric release. "Curse" resounds to layered textures and is powered by a pulsating, rolling groove, while on "Moving Walls" the French producer delivers a track that has echoes of sometime Knotweed contributor Terrence Dixon. Repetitive riffs and outer space tones unravel over a sinewy groove that is designed for the latest dance floor hours. "Reactivity" explores a slightly more atonal sound, but here too echoes of Dixon prevail thanks to the repetitive tones. Last but not least is the title track, which sounds inspired by IDM, albeit copper-fastened to a limber dance floor rhythm.
Review: Myk Derill returns to Knotweed after last year's Cold Thoughts release. Like his previous work for the French label, RI-TU-AL is a varied affair. It starts off with the glassy-eyed minimalism of "Compulsive", before changing direction for "Sacrifice". A slamming, peak-time affair, it sees Derill deploy old school snare rolls, firing hi hats and grinding bass to devastating effect. The addition of a repetitive vocal sample only adds to the drama. Shifting gears again, he drops "Group Cohesion"; like vintage 7th City material it's a classy piece of minimal techno, as lone bleeps are supported by angular drums and a buzzing acid line.
Review: Philippe Petit is one of the unsung heroes of European techno. This is partly due to the fact that his label, Knotweed, has focused a lot of its efforts on releasing music by luminaries like Terrence Dixon and Myles Serge. However, Fracture looks certain to redress that imbalance. Designed to accommodate a range of moods and feelings, the release starts with the detuned riffs of "Killdozer", before heading to the peak time thanks to the pulsating, acid-led bass of "Five Zero". On "See The Light", the Knotweed boss focuses on a similar approach - although its whooshing synths somewhat offset the effect of its pulsating bass and hammering kicks - while on the title track, Petit calls to mind Rob Hood's visceral minimal thanks to its searing riffs and malevolent chord stabs.
Review: Despite the seemingly morbid artist name, there's little here to feel down about. Dying & Barakat are an Argentinean pair who have released before on Knotweed, and this follow up is even more impressive. Full of layered melodies and breathy textures, this is house and techno music for a warm summer's night. "Odisea" sets the tone, with beautiful bells and evocative chimes unfolding over a rolling club groove. "Destino" is even deeper and more soulful as the duo conjures up a disco-influenced, bubbling affair that has echoes of Pepe Braddock. The title track sees them navigate a slightly darker path, with a niggling acid line and thunder claps underpinning the warm filters, but overall, this is a wonderfully musical affair as the reflective electro sounds of "Unica Perspectiva" demonstrate.
Review: Techno producers rarely emanate from the French alps, or any other sort of mountain region, for that matter, but Chamonix's Philippe Petit isn't your ordinary sort of techno artist. Maybe they should, however, as the cold winter air is a typical prism though which we view the classic techno sound. In any case, Petit's Knotweed label has been a strong birthing ground for some of the more intricate and challenging techno shapes of the last five years, and this new EP, Opposite Attracts, is no different. "Decorrelation" feels like a Chicago house bomb circa 89' that has been filtered through a Berlin techno tone, while "Correlation" adds a little subtle 303 magic to its bass. "Salvation" is a nutty Detroit techno bullet in the same style as visionaries like Population One, and "Damnation" takes that same framework on a more dance-centric approach. Big and bad. Great DJ tools here
Review: From the label that gave us Terrence Dixon and Myles Serge comes Invite's Active Trigger. If you know Knotweed's form, then this three-track release doesn't offer too many surprises. However, it does succeed in delivering fast-paced and occasionally different sounding techno. "Higgs" is the most intense track, starting off as a pulsing acid line before gradually building up to a noisy, grungy climax. "Aquatic" meanwhile is led by a droning bass, glitchy, chattering percussion and tough, functional drums. Best of all though is the title track, which sees Invite borrow from Terrence Dixon's pointillist minimalism and reposition that sound in a more relentless setting.
Review: Most techno releases focus on a specific sound - by contrast, Unison manages to combine a range of styles. "Facial Features" is the dance floor slayer on the release, its hissing percussion and slamming beats combining with glacial chord progressions to create a peak-time affair with style and intelligence. By contrast, "Omage" is all about stripped backbeats and a slurred vocal in French that is reminiscent of the minimal house anthem, "Mumbling, Yeah". "See" is more up to date, with a stepping rhythm underpinning dramatic chords, while "Synda" sees Derill deploy a heavier, straighter rhythm, but one that is underpinned by dubby textures.
Review: This label has been on form lately, and Itadori continues its good run of form. Focusing on high-paced techno, Petit starts the EP in hypnotic mode, with a pulsing bassline and rattling percussion leading into a spacey segue. It sounds like Petit is a fan of such constructions because "November" is based on a similar approach, as heavy claps and detuned chords come together, eventually progressing into a magical denouement where layered claps and epic strings soar and soar. "Free" is a heavier affair, with relentless stabs and heavy acid lines ramming home the message, and Petit follows this approach on "Condemned", with metallic drums and a grainy bassline prevailing.
Review: Terrence Dixon's remarkable series of releases continues with Escape. Like his recent record on Delsin, "Beat" sees him move away from abstract sounds and embrace the full-blooded dance floor approach. Swirling filters move in over a rigid, metronome beat and even though the enveloping pads are spacey and dreamy, he keeps his focus on the dance floor. The title track is an entirely different matter, with its detuned, drunken sounding bass suggesting a move back to more abstract territory. He completes this move on "Another Space", where dreamy synths and a fragile, shuffling rhythm prevail. The only remaining question is whether he can maintain this remarkable form.
Review: Serge spans a wide range of sound on this three-tracker Tarifa EP. "Agua" is a real big room minimal groove, but instead of using bursts of white noise, he lays down screeching, grating riffs that sound like claws scraping across a tin roof. "Wind at Work" seeks inspiration from a different form of minimalism and its bleepy tones are reminiscent of Sleeparchive. However, the more impressive track on this release is "Mir's Mind". Consisting of raw, stomping beats, rasping percussion and a hypnotic chord sequence that's on a loop for over ten minutes, Serge's production is reminiscent of early Force Inc releases.
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