Too Long...

Wow. Haven't been on here in a while. And frankly, for the two of you that often check here, I apologize. However, seeing as it's getting into the winter months, I will probably find myself often holed up in my room doing homework, and as such will probably find ample time to update this thing. Anyways, enough about me, and on to the tracks...

I figure I'll just give a few of current favorite tracks the nod, but I'm planning a big techno entry later this month. Specifically, on why most electronic music is NOT techno, my opinion of the genre, and a few of my favorite, genre-defining tracks from said style of music. And this is a purely personal look at techno, I am by no means a complete expert, so yes. Be looking out for that.

Alright, on to the music.

The first track I'd like to present is somewhat old, but it's kind of grown on me lately. Be forewarned, this is about as edgy as you can get as far as minimal techno is concerned, but it is well worth at least one listen.

Dutch producer Patrice Baumel dropped this violent, jarring minimal techno cut back in July 2008 on Get Physical. First thing to point out? No kick. That's correct, there is, in a word, no "beat". But this only makes things more interesting. Behind a steady procession of heavy, commanding claps and mechanical plonks of the "roar" (which is more akin to a chainsaw), that thick, grating, abrasive ROAR kicks in, before dropping out at the last minute. But with momentary piston hisses and a slowly gathering structure through most of the six plus minutes of the track, this is what techno would sound like through the ears of a robot: mechanical, vicious, thunderous, and completely devoid of any melodious elements. Not a track for a sunny, happy day.



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The next track I'd like to spotlight is a month old joint straight from the mind of A-Trak. The man has, undeniably, a knack for remixing. He did it for Sebastien Tellier's "Kilometer", Boys Noize's "Oh!", and now he does it again for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. His remix of "Heads Will Roll" is banging, hissing, funked-out house cut. Karen O sounds right at home over A-Trak's addictive keys, hip-hop influenced beats, and glittering synth riffs. I honestly don't think A-Trak will ever be able to outdo his remix of "Kilometer", but this elastic, catchy-as-hell remix highlights what A-Trak does best, and this will definitely remain among my favorite tracks for a few months.



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This next track is a wonderfully Spanish tech house joint from German techno/tech house producer Stimming. I've heard this referred to as minimal, but it's simply not true. It's tech house. Anyways, this track brings the rhythm, and that, plus the breezy, ghostly vocal, will beckon you into a warm, coastal beach house, complete with hammocks, that fresh sea air, and a near broken radio too. The crackling vocal becomes the cnterpiece for this track, and everything else is built around it. The vibrating undercurrent of a beat, the "slap claps", and the intermittent, wavering horn swells all create a comfortable, flowing atmosphere that gets this track bouncing off the walls of your head, filling every inch with that casual, sunny-day vibe that you can almost feel radiating off this cut.



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Finally, I'm going to bring it back with my second favorite producer of all-time: Eric Prydz. The man does NOT release many remixes anymore, but when he does, you just know that they'll be quality cuts. And his latest remix of Calvin Harris's "Flashback" is no exception. It's your typical Prydz prog/tech house sound: spacey, layered synths, lush, delayed vocals, proggy drums, it's been done before. But it's how Prydz's introduces everything slowly but surely that keeps this remix on it's feet. Additionally, he handles the vocals with the utmost care. The female lead sounds delicate yet buoyant over Harris's wonderful harmony that works even better with Prydz's simplistic synth riff. It's drawn out to near eight minutes, but personally, the ebbs and flows, the crests and troughs of the whole thing are well worth it. Another excellent remix by Prydz. Much better than that commercial turd David Guetta dropped.



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That's all! Check back soon for a journey into the depths of techno. You've been warned.

-Keep listening to anything and everything you can! -NL