I have to give props to Denham for originality, because this is one weird album. The title track, written and co-produced with Anthony “Shake” Shakir is pure house with a woman singing atonally and Denham speaking pretentiously over synth strings and bleating bass. A little goes a long way.
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Shed’s first full-length comes out the beginning of September, but since I’ve seen it mentioned on a few blogs already, I thought I’d give it an early review. Shed already made a name for himself through a series of Detroit-inspired 12-inches issued on his own label, Soloaction. As this title punningly implies, he is expanding his sound, embracing everything from minimal techno to mellow, well, techno.
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There’s no overstating Cologne artist Wolfgang Voigt’s influence on electronic music. His Mike Ink and Studio 1 releases helped shape minimal techno, while his Gas project laid the groundwork for abstract dub techno. Voigt also launched Profan and is an owner of Kompakt. It’s no wonder his four out-of-print Gas albums have been fetching large sums on the second-hand market.
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The fifth and final installment of Claro Intelecto’s long-running series (which is soon to be compiled on CD) is the most modern and minimal record of the bunch.
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This first compilation on Arne Weinberg’s label is a wonderful introduction to overlooked artists crafting techno in the Detroit style.
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Yard takes his fascination with surface noise a step further on this new 12-inch. “Detrit” is a crunchy, crackling techno track with a slow-building melody.
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It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a DJ mix. Robert Hood should need no introduction. He collaborated with Mike Banks and Jeff Mills on the first Underground Resistance and Axis releases, then founded M-Plant in 1994 to focus on minimal techno. Fourteen years later, minimalism is finally mainstream in club-land.
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I’ve enjoyed this album often over the past few weeks.
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Mike Huckaby reinforces the connection between intelligent Detroit techno and deep dub techno on a 12-inch so good it hurts. On “Wavetable No. 9” Waldorf Wave synthesizer notes are pushed to oozing decay under a cascade of Basic Channel metallic echo. The beat remains crisp while layer upon layer builds. It takes a couple of minutes until the bass joins, growling with menace.
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These days in techno what’s old is new again, with scores of records echoing sounds fifteen years past. On the one hand, there’s a rebirth of dub techno. On the other, there’s a revival of the intelligent Detroit style. Think Juan Atkins at his most melodic combined with John Beltran and Terrace. (The main labels along this line are AW-Recordings, Down Low, Frantic Flowers and Millions of Moments/Styrax.)
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