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Review: Milton Bradley assumes his Alien Rain alter ego for this no-nonsense workout on Ellen Alien's UFO, an imprint that is devoted to raw techno projects. The title track is a high-paced, oppressive bleep techno workout, sounding like Mike Parker on weapons-grade angel dust, while "Numbers Station" sees Bradley drop rave stabs over a banging backing track. Raising the intensity levels a few notches is the excellently named "Misery Business" where Bradley sails close to the Acid Junkies school of 303 insanity for a synapse-shattering, distorted workout. While "Alien Tool 1" isn't a picnic either, its more streamlined acid techno sounds like a comedown in comparison.
Played by: Ellen Allien
Review: French dame Bloody Mary is back with another simmering brew of TB-303 antics on The Melting Pot Ep Vol 2, featuring some legends and veterans alike. Witness the return of German acid kings Hardfloor, who serve up some euphoric tunnel vision on the terrific "Thisishowwedo", Ovum head honcho Josh Wink delivers a fitting tribute on the deeply evocative "Dame Deep" calling to mind the early '90s glory days of Peacefrog or Ferox. Do Not Resist The Beat's Milton Bradley dons the Alian Rain alias once again on the adrenalised rush of "Contact" while last but not least: Bloody Mary chips in for something a bit more uplifting and groove oriented with "Mono". All killer and no filler on this one.
Review: Man of many aliases Patrick Radomski has saved some of his best material for the Alien Rain series, which has been delivering bombastic blasts of acid-fired techno hedonism since 2012. "Alienopolis", the track that kicks off this sixth EP, is a suitably no-holds-barred romp through intense club techno territory, with genuinely mind-altering TB-303 motifs weaving in and out of a no-holds-barred rhythm track. He then opts for a slightly deeper, darker and more intoxicating feel on psychedelic creep-out "XOX 31", before sharpening his acid lines further on the otherworldly hypnotism of "Illusion", where sampled vocal snippets help enhance the druggy mood.
Various
Various/Lewis Fautzi
Review: The second instalment in Bpitch Control's compilation series gets off to a rousing start, with Rebekah dropping a pounding, hardcore-influenced techno track, "Last Summer". The same intensity levels are audible on Inhalt Der Nacht's "In Lust Verirrt" and Tham's "The Third Kind" but deployed differently, with both acts using swirling acid lines and blustery filters to arrive at the same destination. While keeping the focus on the dance floor, ebm influences loom large on "Herzschlag Der Figur" from German trio Die Selektion. The compilation also embraces ghetto techno as Andrew Moore delivers the slamming "That Makes Me So Horny" and big-room 303 mayhem on Alien Rain's "Dream Interceptor".
Various/Lewis Fautzi
