as mentioned a while ago elsewhere, following an email from the rednetic label i came across one of the mint tracks on a recent steve lawler mix album. so when the offer to hear more was given, i was rather keen to say the least.

 

following in line with my current love for all things ambient and techno (hello dust science), this 7 track mini album (including 2 remixes) is a truly sublime beast that deserves more attention in these days of fickle media friendly dubstep, grime and the dreaded nu-rave micro-genres.

opening the 30 minutes with coerce provides a touch of detroit depth, a slice of dub bass, and twittering beats, setting the pace perfectly. the atmosphere is definitely one of late night drives, neon lit skyscrapers and dark skies, perfect for that much rumoured bladerunner 2 soundtrack. when this highlight is followed by the equally compelling title track, out of context, subtle horror movie distortion effects to the far right of the stereo spectrum sends the necessary goosebumps prickling in all the right places, the unsettling nature of the sonics collide brilliantly with the relaxed nature of the main melody.

stunning.

 

roman triangle ups the tempo but holds back from being a 4-to-the floor monster, instead the mood is still that of technology enhanced paranoia. sci-fi techno underpinned by some old school orbital styled pulsating arpeggios. russian doll has more cinematic synths and mellow moods, giving me flashbacks to some old tangerine dream records that are hidden deep in the archive, and future automation is as lush yet minimal as anything a fan of 90's warp records could wish for making the tracks 5 minutes familiar, but fresh. fans of novamutes lawrence will be wanting to hear this methinks.

 

the 2 remixes are slightly more gritty in their beats, with even the presence of a stright up head banging hip hop beat to the title track in its 'neytoda premier remix' form, but still retaining the attention to melodic detail these additions are very welcome additions to the record.

 

a fine fine release, proving man and machine can still create ambient techno that is both forward looking and enjoyable without having to resort to gimmicks and short shelf life possibilities.