Review: Following 2021's Aether, Jeroen Search returns to Token with this fine four-track EP. "Light Spinner" kick-starts the release in minimal mode, with Search delivering a stripped back rhythm and rolling snares. On "Six Requests", he focuses again on a 'less is more' approach. On this occasion though, the pace is more frenetic, with Search inspired by Robert Hood's mid-90s work on M-Plant. That influence is also audible on "Ten Foot Radius", a menacing, heads-down affair that resounds to eerie organs and intense bursts of percussion. "Restore Balance" rounds off the release in an abstract vein, as thunder claps roll in against the backdrop of a wiry, angular groove.
Review: Token has a long, storied track record when it comes to releasing distinctive music, and Aventurine marks the latest chapter in the label's story. It's fair to say that the title track inhabits a world of its own. Bells toll and a dramatic cello is audible as a Bladerunner-style spoken word unravels. This all plays out against the backdrop of razor-sharp percussion and a rattling rhythm. "Seraphic" is more linear, but also features off kilter, atmospheric tones and nagging hi hats. On "Verdant", Ignez edges nearer to what might be considered club techno but brooding textures surge to the surface. "Cure", which closes out a remarkable release, resounds to punchy drums, acting as the basis for an intertwined vocal snippets and tones.
Review: Following releases on Float and SK Eleven, Ahmet Altinbas delivers this hypnotic four-tracker for Token. The title track is based on a rolling groove and nickel-plated percussion, with hypnotic synths and tonal bleeps swirling up through the arrangement. "Integrate The Shadow" sees Altinbas adopt a more stripped back approach, as snappy hi hats and gloomy tones unfold over a lithe rhythm. "Tenacity" is powered by tough kicks and visceral sound design, while he reverts to a hypnotic approach on "Follow The Eyes". Although it's based on a high tempo, its eerie synths and subtle filters mean that it retains a softer edge compared to conventional club techno.
Review: Suspended Animation is Phase's second release on Token this year and continues one of the longest-running partnerships in contemporary techno music. The Belgian imprint has been home to Ashley Burchett's music for well over a decade, and as, this EP demonstrates, continues to support his varying takes on dance floor techno. Fittingly, "Suspended Animation (Stroke B)" is a fast-paced, pumping rhythm, powered by a sleek, pulsating bass that supports trancey hooks. On the "Stroke C)" version, Burchett opts for a slower, more heads-down approach. The bass is dense and darker, and the use of a breathy vocal sample adds to the sense of mystique.
Review: Originally released during the early to mid 00s, Steve Rachmad's Scorp project was like a breath of fresh air for anyone suffocating under wave upon wave of dreary loop techno at the time. That's not to suggest that the tracks on this compilation are anything but DJ tools - and the steely minimalism and raw tonal repetition of "Atomitron" is reminiscent of Mills at his most uncompromising. However, they do possess a dynamism and energy that was almost alien to that period. Take a listen to the rattling snares and claps on "Energetix" or the relentless, pile-driving motion of "One Side" for confirmation that even when he's banging the box, Steve Rachmad is in a league of his own.
Review: Token has sensibly made all of the tracks from Kr!z debut commercial mix available in an unmixed format. The Belgian label has put out a wide range of music, and its owner represents its diversity well on this selection. With the inclusion of Xhin's twisted, abstract rhythms, the plaintive ambience of Inigo Kennedy's 'Obsidian' and Surgeon's electro take on Grovskopa's "Sex & Violins", the compilation shows the label's reflective side. However, Token is first and foremost a dance floor label and Introspective includes the insane drones of Ctrl's "Sockets", Rodhad's spooky "Spomeniks", the glacial trance of Inigo Kennedy's "Cathedral" and the deranged tonal assault that is Makaton's "Endless Revolt".
Review: Inigo Kennedy discards with the deepness shown on recent EPs for some thoroughly dirty techno on his latest EP for Token. Heavily road tested on his worldwide DJ travels, "Revenge" and "Scatter" operate on different levels, with the former building layers of dubby rhythms over the foundation worrying drums. It's peak time business which contrasts with "Revenge", a dystopian trawl through skittering percussion, IDM soundscapes and bass that sounds fit to burst. Remix duties are undertaken by perma busy Blawan, commissioned to tweak "Revenge" after Kennedy realized the two had a mutual appreciation. As with the recent productions from the SoYo hero, this is brutal techno dominated by those unique drum sounds.
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