Nina Kraviz – IMPRV (Original Mix) [TECHNO]

Nina Kraviz – IMPRV (Original Mix)

Last year we crowned Nina Kraviz’s exhilarating Time Warp 2018 set as one of the best featured at the festival. The more recent Eiffel Tower Cercle mix swanked unapologetic raucous Techno with shades of Acid. Elephantine basslines synthesized with a touch of elegance, a sound with which the Russian DJ has been more recently associated with. Her 2017 release ‘You Are Wrong‘ radiates toxic arpeggio lines that mollify the listeners’ ears. Meanwhile ‘Hi Josh‘ rockets you to a distant Nebula with its 16 minute runtime full of Minimal bliss. And none more evident than in ‘IMPRV’, the third track found on the majestically titled Without A Moment’s Notice, An Octopus Appeared And Devoured Everyone In Sight EP. The pioneering TRP001 release of her then newly-found label трип, ‘IMPRV’ is a cannonade coming from a maverick DJ reaching the peak of their game.

During Kraviz’s formative years she released hypnotic Minimal, Tech-House and Deep House cuts. They were fitting for the peak time of a house party as much as the bowels of fabric. Her shift towards harder styles mutates perfectly on this track. Growing up in the harsh climates of Siberia must have given Nina a robust attitude that’s reflected in the track. A husky, rolling bassline that’s supported by clunky hi hats stampedes like a steam train. In the spirit of producer’s hits such as ‘I’m Going To Get You‘, ‘Pain in the Ass‘ and ‘Ghetto Kraviz‘, vocals contribute to the layering of the track. In this instance, the viscid delay repetition of inaudible chanting adds to the tenebrous melody that hovers faintly in the background. Trance-inducing soundscapes that entice you to move. Charlotte De Witte, Chris Liebing and Marcel Dettmann would proudly endorse. The latter half of the track introduces an Acid bassline you’d expect from 1990s 303 Techno cut such as DJ Misjah & DJ Tim’s ‘Purple Road‘. Nina is fond of higher tempos seizing control of her sets’ second halves. It comes as no surprise there that the track clocks in at a 129 BPM. Opening up a quantum hole in the process, this is a brooding track used to consolidate the DJs dominance over an enraptured dancefloor. Continue reading →

Pan-Pot – Zeit (DEAS Remix) [TECHNO]

Pan-Pot – Zeit (DEAS Remix)

One Reddit user crowned Pan-Pot as the ‘Nickelback of Techno’. Though, it is true that the duo from Berlin have enjoyed recognition worldwide, I don’t believe the Redditor in question has ever heard of their timeless, ground-breaking releases such as ‘Charly‘. Pan-Pot’s Second State Audio is a label like Drumcode and ARTS releasing Techno-flavoured cut curated for festivals like Dimensions or club venues like The Steelyard. The unit can claim responsibility for helping catapult Amelie Lens’ career into the stratosphere by releasing her first 3 EPs. Impressed by the SUM 2 compilation featuring slamming cuts by Wigbert, Marco Resmann and Tobi Neumann we waited with keen anticipation for the next compilation. Appearing at track 3, DEAS’ ‘Friday Rain‘ instantly made us froth at the mouth. Perfect for building a set just like the SCI+TEC release ‘Revenge‘ by Rosper, it conveys the same savageness. Here again on this 2018 release DEAS provides a vehemence in his production. Best served for the Techno festival masses of ADE, as well as technical soundsystems belonging to such as London’s 93 Feet East. Red Bull label’s DEAS production style is deep and melancholic. You certainly get a bit of that, plus more on this remix.

Pan-Pot’s original track features a stomping bass, alongside random percussive bits and a veil of 303 drum soundscapes. Zaps that come like bolts from the Greek god Zeus help pickle the brain. DEAS instantly ramps up the feeling by expanding the bass. This creates a wall to wall of atmospheric dread. A tribal drum pattern will help mix out of something not so greyscale such as Artbat’s ‘Prometheus‘. Ironically or not, the EP cover is that of a space helmet. Squelching echoed modulations help the track shoot the abyss. Alien-sounding, it’s a striking sound when paddled alongside the stringed arps. The track can be deemed as being drenched in a maximum amount of reverb. By the time the claps kick in, the pulses that reverberate around entrap the senses. Those bolts mentioned before? They then spurt back in at will, causing an absolute carnage. It’s a fireball of menace, only to further throttle the dancefloor once the tunnelling pulses fire again. Continue reading →

Tin Man – Vertigo (Vocal Mix) [TECHNO-TRACID]

Tin Man – Vertigo (Vocal Mix)

Trance can be a curse word in the underground music scene, its innocent melodies often interpreted as tacky. But producers like Michael Mayer & Peter Dundov release trance-influenced music in such a refreshing way it can never truly stay irrelevant. Trance with Acid? Rarely seen outside the terriers of Gabba and tracks above 150bpm. Tin Man however flips the script and ensures your aural senses will be addled to continued perplexion. Released on his 2014 LP Ode, Vertigo (Vocal Mix) is a slow burning euphoric melting pot of Acid, Trance and Techno. It’s an exquisite showcase of a producer who is willing to push the boundaries.

Crunchy techno hats kick in from the start that Robert Hood would’ve been truly proud of. Riding along with the sub-bass is a acidic mutation, giving a weighty drawn-out low end that has a real funk to it. Acid bass has never been so good. Swirling synths that would normally be heard in a Paul Van Dyk trance track make the track sound elegant in this case. It is all played at a slower pace to add biosphere into the journey. This is alongside filtered quivers that add real zing like a majestic bird marking its arrival to the surrounding. Continue reading →

Quince & Benny Rodrigues – Sweet Potatoes [ATMOSPHERIC TECHNO]

Quince & Benny Rodrigues- Sweet Potatoes

Pretty crazy to think that guys like Benny Rodrigues can go from releasing tracks like ‘Sweet Potatoes’ to Papa Sven’s last summer favourite ‘Hor‘ under his ROD guise. That’s the beauty of underground electronic music though – like a chameleon it supports a range of shades and forms yet still retains the same soul. However building a track with Quince, the author of some high-octane jackin’ tech tunes over the years, was always going to strike gold. Quince & Benny Rodrigues combined in 2006 but released the resulting track in 2010. Distributed by Smallville Records, it’s an ideal fit for the label’s quaint and delicate Deep House cuts. The added dubbyness, however, elevates it to a place that none other can climb. Ultimately making you feel like you’re stuck in a dream.

Space Travel 303

The track is a musical opus dedicated to the Galaxy. With all that’s going on, each element swirls together to create a truely atmospheric experience. Delayed kicks play on every off beat along a simple xylophone beat. Fast Roland TB-303 hats sound like crickets in the forest, as a plodding bassline surfaces. Once you start to get your head around the ambience, a deep acid line spirals into the mix. This is before lush & serene pads kick in fully enveloping all the proceedings like mist within a forest. Beautiful and harmonic, the flutes elevate the track towards a mid-song break down. Emotive chords play autonomously, bringing reverie closer to reality. Continue reading →

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