Raiz / ‘Keep Secrets’
Vinyl
Droid Recordings / Released November 20th 2010
What is it that makes a good techno track? Is it the relentless rhythm, or the scarce but always welcome breakdowns?
For the most prolific, and engaging names in the business it’s really about one thing- diversity and contrast. Which is exactly what makes this latest from Vangelis and Vidal Vargas work so well. It’s eerie, post-industrial ghostliness, melded with deep, throbbing basslines and muscular kicks.
The original throws out almost off-time analogue loops and live sounding beats, but James Ruskin’s reworking steals the show, and deservedly so as this isn’t a case of one decent track amongst three run of the mill cousins. Frantic, storm-like synths pitch and dip over a thundering drum before things filter out into atmospheric bell chimes, leading to a trance inducing ambient melody, all the while with that relentless kick prevailing.
Elsewhere Jerome Sydenham and Function (of Sandwell District notoriety) take things on an unsurprisingly space age route, relying on reversed cymbal broodiness and minimalist bleeps. Alongside the titler buyers are also treated to Been Caught, which opts for more of a rolling mentality, happy to keep its head down, and let machine noise percussion and disparate horns do most of the work. As solid techno goes, this is probably going to be one of 2010’s last worthy examples.