Tessela - Nancy's Pantry

Label: R&S

With the release of this year’s Hackney Parrot, Ed Russell’s Tessela alias went from intriguing newcomer to blazing star in the space of a single release. The song in question rode the crest of the current hardcore revival, capturing all the scene’s euphoria and grit in a single outing, and it still stands as one of the year’s very best singles. It’s certainly a hard act to follow, but Russell’s signing to venerable techno institution R&S boded well, and with Nancy’s Pantry he delivers the perfect follow-up, taking everything which made Hackney Parrot resonate into bold, unpredictable territory.

Nancy's Pantry

The three tracks that make up his new EP are cut from the same cloth: rave synths, crushed technoid drums laid out in staccato patterns, and distorted machine burn. The results are three hardcore / techno workouts that fuse UK music’s past and future with blistering effervescence. Nancy’s Pantry builds with the cluttered percussion wryly indicated by the title, explosively settling into a stop-start roller hewn from chopped breaks and squashed kicks. The drum pattern bursts from the speakers with noisy abandon, giving way to mechanical tones reminiscent of 2562 and, later, glittering chords. Final cut Gateway is just as destructive, whirring patiently over insistent hi-hats and surgical break cuts, as lethal bass hits and the ghosts of divas past ring out over the percussive wasteland.

Horizon

Each cut here is a stunner, lethal in a club context, but it’s on middle tune Horizon where Tessela offers up Parrot’s true successor. The track occupies three distinct movements, each as powerful as the last. Searing rave melodies build to a euphoric fever pitch before dropping away, leaving only a disjointed drum pattern and maniacally looped vocal cuts. Finally after two and a half minutes it lets go, the drums and synths rolling out recklessly, as high-frequency atmospherics do their best to ramp body temperatures even higher. Tessela’s latest is a no-brainer, a wild hat-trick cementing Russell’s position at the forefront of techno’s hardcore revolution.

9/10

Paula Temple – Colonized

Label: R&S

While some many not be familiar with the name of Paula Temple, the self-described 'noisician' is no newcomer to the music scene. Although she has released nothing under her own name since 2002’s Speck of the Future on the Materials label, Temple has been working with both music and technology, delving further into various strains of noise. For her first R&S release, Temple surprisingly becomes the label's first female signing in history, bringing a brutal EP of metallic techno, drawing on industrial and noise tropes to unsettling, bewitching effect.

The raw violence of these tracks may be too much for some, but look deeper to uncover an artist who challenges conventional structure and form with great success. Lead track Colonized is the most aggressive of the bunch, dealing in metal-on-metal beat patterns and alarming synth tones. The second original cut on wax is Cloned, an equally impressive take that leads with searing synths and tough broken beats, eroded away to nothing, anticipating the moody entry of a towering scifi wash. The package is rounded off by the most disorientating cut of all, the digital-only Decolonization, where the opener’s core elements are chopped into an unpredictable assault of vicious rhythms, rounded off by a quasi-mystical vocal breakdown and a stunning final sequence where Temple clips the loops ever shorter, digitally disintegrating the music into a frightening electronic mulch.

The reliable Perc takes over remix duties, adding aqueous synths to a straightened-out Colonized on the Bubble Mix. However it’s his interpretation on the Metal Mix which really demands attention, a stomping industrial rework which turns the original’s drones into jarring staccato interruptions, to particularly striking effect on the masterful breakdown at the 4-minute mark. While listeners will at first be drawn in by the raw viscerality of Temple’s constructions, it is her defiant approach to structure and her destructive attitude towards her own music which lend them staying power. As a whole Colonized stands as a strikingly different and disturbingly compelling package.

7.5/10

MPIA3 – Your Orders

Label: R&S

If any genre has really come (back) to the fore in 2012, it’s undoubtedly Techno. Dancefloors are becoming increasingly dominated by bruising shades of industrial sounds, and MPIA3 closes out the year on R&S by offering up a dangerous and largely successful double-pack of venomous Acid Techno. You may be more familiar with Tom Russell as Perc Trax’s Truss, but his MPIA3 project is funkier and more than a little Electro-tinged, a breath of fresh air in a scene that’s perhaps a little too fond of a fixed set of sounds.

 

Acid Badger

The raw, industrial noises of Your Orders are generally served up on a similar sonic plate, but MPIA3 does more than enough to keep the ADHD-addled listener interested. Opener Crusty Juice hits hard for an introduction but eventually refuses to really go anywhere, and the same sounds are to be used to much more impressive effect later in the release. A powerful bassline dominates the more successful second cut Mountain Of Ash, becoming more erratic and ragged as the tune wears on. The pacing snares add up to a brooding acid roller that’s restrained without ever losing any of its force.

By this point, you’ll be used to the distorted 909 kicks and 303 squiggles, and Roly Poly Babs divorces itself from the 4/4 formula. That same venomous kick takes the lead over glistening synths that lend an urgency to the soundfield that results in something pleasingly analogue without ever seeming tired. The title track is another punchy and energetic turn, with snapping percussive touches and a clipped vocal, but both of these tracks feel somewhat like tools compared to the EP’s two largest tunes.

 

Ridge Way

The first real stunner here is the unreasonably massive Acid Badger, an unstoppable pitch-bending acid odyssey that’s sure to light a fire under the darkest Techno dancefloors, an indisputable killer. But MPIA3 doesn’t stop there, offering one more moment of brilliance in the brief closer Ridge Way, a cut that rides faster with bruising kicks and a fantastic snare / hi-hat combo cutting into the 303s and keeping time, martialling all that madness. These two tracks make Your Orders worth the asking price alone, an astonishingly powerful set of take-no-prisoners Acid Techno that offers a continuous punch  and occasional moments of brilliance.

7/10

Lone – Galaxy Garden

Label: R&S

Matt Cutler’s much anticipated new LP on R&S is the continuation of a young producer with an impressive back catalogue and a unique sound, but it may still come as a surprise that Galaxy Garden represents a real departure for the UK producer. While he honed a strong sound, fusing his bright colours with the existing genres of Hip Hop and House on earlier releases, here most of that is stripped away to leave just the colours and the lights, creating a different take on music that is still undeniably Cutler’s own. Galaxy Garden is a departure; from dance music, from samples, and ultimately this is both a strength and a weakness for the LP. His new sound is inviting and at times fascinating, but some tracks, pretty as they are, could ultimately be called a little unmemorable when compared to excellent releases like Emerald Fantasy Tracks or Pineapple Crush.

Cutler’s music has always courted the most vibrant extreme of Technicolour, but now his bright synths are more richly textured and three-dimensional, resulting in a jubilant atmosphere that never comes off as superficial. The production, as could be expected, is of the highest quality; the sheer amount of rhythms and melodies being juggled on these tunes is always dense but never cluttered, showing a producer who knows when to stop just before it’s all too much. Opener New Colour perfectly establishes what’s coming on the LP; not an entirely new sound for Lone but rather a new shade to be added to his repertoire. There is a richness in his bright, shifting synths and the wooden percussion that feels surprisingly organic, signalling a mastery and confidence that proves surprisingly accessible as well as impressive.

New Colour

Galaxy Garden is an aptly named album, one really has the sensation of wandering through a glistening electronic garden, with so much to see and hear seemingly coming from every direction. This is communicated through a vivid sense of exploration and curiosity, and Cutler’s choice of bright, shiny textures will make the listener keep wanting to listen and explore. The pacing Lying In The Reeds contains a real sense of movement as the tune shifts between deep hazey plateaus (reminiscent of earlier Lone productions) and racing percussive stretches, while Dream Girl / Sky Surfer is a dreamy (yes, really) number that cycles between big vibrant synthwork and a coiled percussive loop.

Raindance is almost too manic to exist but just makes the cut; intense and jubilant, it rushes past your ears to powerful effect. Elsewhere lead single Crystal Caverns 1991 is a clear standout; showcasing Cutler’s talent at combining frantic immediacy with clever structure so that his productions always feel spontaneous yet intricately laced together. Here typically intense pitch-bent synths give way to a harder, rave edge (signalling the 1991 of the title) to give the genre an excellent and thoroughly modern update, replete with the 90s staple of wordless vocal exclamations. The tune, like Cutler’s best, is always fast and exciting as well as frequently surprising, as he builds layers and proceeds to re-apply them intriguingly, building a continuity that always sounds undeniably fresh.

Crystal Caverns 1991

As breathlessly exciting as a lot of this music is, the tracks on offer are generally cut from the same sonic cloth so it might take a few listens to really differentiate between the tunes. This could leave you gasping for a little variation in the sounds, but it has the advantage of making Galaxy Garden consistent and accessible, lent coherence by the uniformly bright colours and racing rhythms.

When Cutler does change it up it’s very impressive, as on late standout Earth’s Lungs. The tune is divided into a few distinct parts and forms a sort of descent into percussive darkness; beginning with ominous clicks before dropping into something simultaneously darker and sillier (that silliness that has always made Lone’s dance productions a little different and irreverent), with churning acid basslines and crystalline synths cascading over a fractured drum loop. Other variations are not quite so impressive, such as the collaborations on offer. While Machinedrum collab As A Child starts out promisingly with a searing synth melody and rapid footwork percussion, Travis Stewart’s indie-esque vocals hold it back from achieving greatness. Meanwhile closer Spirals, with vocals from Anneka, will likely divide listeners; to some it might be a nice human touch to close out the album, but others (myself included) may find the vocals render the instrumental somewhat background-y and unobtrusive, which is the polar opposite of what one expects from Lone.

Raindance

On Galaxy Garden Lone gets caught a little halfway; his new sound feels like it’s not quite mature so while some tracks are truly brilliant, others feel somewhat unremarkable. The similarity of sounds provides a good consistency and listenability but leaves a lot to be desired in terms of variation. Overall Galaxy Garden is a great achievement, and the production is top-notch at all times, but I’m more excited for what comes next, when Cutler develops this sound, than to sit listening to this LP on repeat. It’s joyous stuff, and although not everything on the LP quite hits home, Galaxy Garden provides a celebratory soundtrack to the summer that should please most comers.

7/10

Airhead – Wait / South Congress

Label: R&S

Robert McAndrews, aka Airhead, hasn’t been around for too long, with a notable compilation release on last year’s IOTDXI and a few remixes, but with Wait / South Congress, his debut release on R&S, he’s sure to make a splash. Here he continues to hone his sound; coupling textured beats with warm analogue field and record sampling, and has succeeded in creating a dazzling and utterly unique set of songs that I’d highly recommend.

Wait

Any expectations based on R&S’ previous output should be shrugged off before listening, because these tracks owe just as much to the Californian Beats scene and even Post Rock as they do to UK dance music. If this doesn’t discourage you, then the tracks are more than worth a listen, with A-side Wait ranking easily amongst the best tunes released so far this year. The track announces itself uneasily with confused samples clouding the soundfield, almost as if the vocal and percussive samples used later in the track are warming up for the big show. The core of the track is an assimilation of Karen O samples from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s tunes, notably the famous Maps, and they are applied here with care and skill. A loping beat pattern is built out of drums that sound like pistons, letting out a warm hiss every so often. As the tune continues the listener is treated to some beautiful and intimate guitar strumming, climaxing in a transcendent melody that will sweep all but the most hardened away in its wake. It’s hard to describe just what makes this track so special; whether it’s the careful and detailed collage of samples, their spare implementation into an almost pop-like structure, or the gentle build to a satisfying crescendo, but there’s something emotive and warm about the tune, more than justifying its difference from R&S’ average releases.

South Congress

B-side South Congress uses similar tactics to a slightly colder effect without a vocal line, but remains an impressive piece, albeit slightly less substantial as a song. Again rich acoustic samples are manipulated to eke the most from their organic textures, so the muffled kicks and melancholy melody are more evocative than you might expect. Add to this a keen knack for ambient details and perfectly treated percussion and you’ve got a strong track, driven to a very Post Rock climax with roaring guitars that feels grand but worthwhile, never quite stepping into over-the-top territory. Both tracks here are intriguing and unique, the A-side proving one to particularly cherish,  and if you’re looking for something a little different and a great deal softer than your average Electronic fare, you can’t go wrong here.

8/10