Ballet Mechanique: Ballet Mechanique: Eevo Lute Muzique (EEVO 021)
- Jeroen Borrenbergs fills in the gap left by the Black Dog Productions
split with a rather BDP-esque outing for Stefan Robbers' label. "Embody"
embodies ultra-lush Detroit techno, while "The Third Ear" and
"Evolutionary Entities" are crisp, snappy breakbeat delights. All the cuts
bear the earmarks of the Dog, though, from the slinky, distinctive
rhythms to their happy/sad approach to melody. Borrenbergs clearly
kicks much Eindhoven soul, and _Ballet Mechanique_ is the sound of him
magnifying it through a techno lens. Magnificent.
Dopplereffekt: Infophysix: Dataphysix (DX 002)
- How do you spell Dopplereffekt? E-L-E-C-T-R-O, that's how. Rudolf
Klorzeiger and Kim Karli strike back with their second 12" on Detroit
mystery-imprint Dataphysix, and it's even better than their first effort.
However, the same rules apply - decidedly retro-sounding electronic funk
meets Drexciyan overtones on "Voice Activated" and "Die Radiometre,"
shimmering kitsch-futurism on "Infophysix," and unabashed sex on
"Pornoactress" and "Pornovision." It's not easy to add subtle newness to
an old sound, but Dopplereffekt pull it off while keeping things FUN-ky.
Electronome: Electronome: Interr-Fered Communications (HM 1202)
- Some of the freshest beats on wax are bubbling up from the sewers of
The Hague, and this five-tracker is a prime example. Extending things
from where last year's _No Landscape_ left off, Electronome busts
demonic funk in all directions and tempos, from the sinister, slow-and-low
ride of "Bro" and "Minimal Dope," to the distorted, Arp-abusing, wildly
percussive assault of "Drumcomputer en een synthesizer II." And don't
forget the cheerier "Influence," with it's Kraftwerkian, synth-pop styled
melodics. Major Dutch talent on the electro-techno tip - just imagine
Autechre in a fit of crack-induced paranoia and you're there.
Flexitone: Rotoreliefs EP: Planet E Communications (PE-FLEX1)
- "Pulse Of Revolution" first appeared in slightly altered form as "The
Pulse Of Evolution" on Planet E's _Elements Of And Experiments With
Sound_ compilation, and it is the showpiece of this four-track picture
disk, melding cavernous kick-drum-riffing with devastating highs and a
deep-sea bassline. "Metacognition," on the flip, is an Ectomorph-stylee,
tempo-changing electro cut, and it is followed by its own spooky
accapella, which mainly consists of twisted, treated, German-sounding
vocal snippets.
Jega: Jega: Skam (SKA 006)
- The unknown Jega has put together not only Skam's finest moment, but
one of the finest electronic dance music records of the year.
Concentrating solely on the various incarnations of the blessed
breakbeat, the seven tracks on this record range from hip-hop-speed
jeep-beats to experimental drum'n'bass to steel-drum-tinged electro.
Each is ominously draped with dark, brooding atmospherics, and Jega's
attention to rhythmic detail is astounding as well. Techno from the outer
limits.
Sem: Demon EP: Electron Industries (TRON 7)
- Contained within the two label-less slabs of clear red vinyl that
comprise this double-EP are the superb sci-fi electro-techno concoctions
of one Damon Baxter. Baxter's tracks are not unlike the epic, Blade
Runner-esque productions of Gianluigi DiCostanzo, a.k.a. Bochum Welt, but
Baxter packs more ghetto-flavored punch into his grooves than
DiCostanzo does. The result is that each of the cuts on this EP is fully
dancefloor-ready, complete with heavily reverbed kick-drums, elastic
basslines, and string-drenched moodiness. Shake that cyborg booty,
baby.
- Matthew