RICHARD BROPHY, [email protected]
QUICKIES
Redshape
Made of Steel
Present
7.0
It sounds like Redshape is letting
what remains of his hair down.
'Made Of Steel' sees the mysterious
one in housey mode, with a kooky
vocal chopped up over a pulsing
backing. The 'Punked' version isn't
quite as playful, but it does have the
added bonus of a sinewy bassline
and lithe breakbeats providing the
backing for the swirling, building
waves of synths that have become
Redshape's signature.
Dualit
Servent
Earwiggle
Downstream
Dualit EP
Fragments EP
8.0
8.0
Ricardo Tobar
Photic Fields
9.0
The Dublin-based Italian
delivers a killer release that
unites jak, Italo and electro.
'Some Things Endure' is a
shimmering synth jam, Lerosa's
melodies underpinned by a
gurgling acid line and shuf?ing
808s. 'Nebula Raider' is more
straightforward, as a jacking
rhythm supports the swelling
synths and 'Dream Of Flight'
suggests a more stripped-back
approach, led by a grungy bass
and heavy claps. But Lerosa
returns to his diverse approach
on 'Postmodern', which rounds
out this impressive EP by fusing
electro bass and grinding funk
shapes.
Brooks Mosher
Get Ready EP
Release Sustain
8.5
Mosher may have taken the slow
road to recognition, but 'Ready'
proves that his approach was
worthwhile. 'Encroachment'
matches a churning Larry Heardstyle bassline with breezy chords. In
contrast, 'Get Ready' and 'Memory
Flash' are tracky, bugged-out
arrangements, with the former
revolving around a repetitive vocal
and the latter featuring tranced-out
keys. Fred P, another late bloomer,
works his magic to turn the title
track into a deep, dreamy house
groove.
Dopplereffekt
Tetrahymena
Leisure System
9.0
It's been six years since the last
Dopplereffekt record. In the
meantime, Gerald Donald has been
busy working on other projects
and electro has re-emerged, but
despite these developments,
'Tetrahymena' shows that no one
can touch Dopplereffekt. The title
204 djmag.com
Damon Vallero delivers a
killer techno release that
touches on broken beats
('Fragmental'); acidic
workouts ('Fragments')
and the raw tribal
rhythms of 'Fragmentize'
and 'Fragmented'. It's a
pity that it's limited to a
digital-only release.
Desire Records
Innershades
Remember Your Black
Day
If I Love You
Lerosa
Woman Flew Home
Sunil Sharpe's label
impresses again with a
hard-hitting release by
Dualit. Channeling the
sound of 'Game Form'period Joey Beltram
and the primal ghetto of
Armani, 'Dualit' is raw,
relentless and, thanks to
a remix from Bleaching
Agent, near essential.
track pits splurging black waves of
bass against epic synth builds, both
beautiful and ferocious. The white
noise of 'Zygote' crackles and hisses
in a manner reminiscent of the last
Dopplereffekt album, but it can't
compare to Donald bearing his soul,
as he does on the razor-sharp drums
and re?ective melodies of 'Gene
Silencing'.
Kirk Degiorgio
Unreleased 1991-1992
Indigo Area
8.5
As the title suggests, Indigo Area
is putting out music that has been
sitting on Kirk Degiorgio's shelf
for over 20 years. Despite this time
lag, the material hasn't aged;
'Exteriors' moves from moody
synths into rippling eerie bass
licks and 'The Factory' is based on
stripped-back beats and a menacing
low-end. The rest of the EP veers
back towards this writer's favourite
part of Degiorgio's back catalogue,
with the brittle percussion and
introspective mood of 'The Leading
Edge' reminiscent of his best As
One material. Kudos to the label for
curating this release.
R Zone
R Zone 6
R Zone
8.0
The latest release on Creme
Organization's offshoot label sees
the unnamed producer dip once
again into the rich source material
that is early '90s rave and hardcore.
'Night Level 2' is populated
by woozy synths and rasping
breakbeats, while 'Romijn Ravine'
prefers a more dramatic approach,
as rave riffs sweep in over jagged
rhythms. Still, the sense of wonder
remains, audible on the track's
breakdown and on 'Rebecca In The
Hall'. There, an acid segue and a
jacking rhythm lead the listener to
a succession of breathy sequences
that are as mushy as the warm afterglow of a virgin Mitsubishi.
7.0
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