This will be my project. From A to Z. Twenty-six of the best electronic music acts/DJs/producers, one for each letter of the alphabet. A little history, some tracks, all that jazz. Anyways, let's begin with...A.
A is for AUDION
Matthew Dear goes by a variety of aliases; Audion, False, Jabberjaw, Matthew Dear...each alias catering to a specific taste in techno. Audion, probably his most notorious alter ego, appeals to the darker recesses of techno, while still appealing to the body and the feet. Audion is deep, dark, and danceable: indeed a curious mixture of adjectives until one hears some of his best tracks...
Audion has released under Spectral Sound (the dance counterpart to Ghostly International), Cocoon, BPitch Control, and a scant few other labels, seeing as Audion's output is, for lack of a better term, infrequent. Most of his best tracks have been on Spectral, a few of which I will delve into below...
Audion - Billy Says Go
A classic Audion track. Yes, I've looked at this cut before on here, but a quick review never hurt anyone! The bass sounds almost plucked here, giving it a sharp, foreground presence. The snaking, hissing synth line that emerges from the ether only adds the ominous nature of the track, fueling the sense of danger and foreboding that pervades the entirety of the song. Tribal drums, liberal use of hi-hats, and that killer four-note synth riff give the track its personality, but it still remains a dancey little slice of techno, arguably almost sensual in its brooding, thick sonic tendencies...
Audion - That's That
Minimal that breathes tech house is hard to find. This is about as close as you'll get, that being said. Expertly mixed drums give instant life to this track, before a simple two-note synth line trots along for the ride. This track is definitely less full-bodied, but I think it's better for it. It's not in-your-face bombastic, but trickles along, establishing more of a groove than any sort of tension. An elastic synth line is the only element that really creates any tension, but it sounds just right when bumped up against those drums and that synth riff. An interesting offering from Audion, but this is a surprisingly groovy and microhouse-esque cut from the man that definitely warrants a listen.
Audion - Look At The Moon
Here we see Audion returning to his traditional penchant for dark minimal techno. A guttural tom rumbles along with hi-hats in tow until a ghostly plea breaks the stale air, echoing endlessly in the empty space surrounding Audion's sparse beats. Eventually, a metallic, arpeggiated synth line plonks out on the offbeat, creating the lone melodic element in an otherwise bleak atmosphere. Only near the end do the hi-hats begin to hiss and the track begins to take actual form, winding slowly and dejectedly around the whining synth line, before finally giving up and fading off into the ether. Not really danceable, but I get the feeling Audion doesn't really care or notice. Worth a listen with some nice headphones.
Audion - Noiser
More of the same, minimaltastic stuff. A jarring kick, a warped, volatile synth line that fabs and rises from time to time, a skittering, buzzing tom, it's all here. This is the Audion that builds tension and then lets it implode in a cascade of almost-noise, only the kick and underpinned squelches and blurts of sound left to fill the void. Minimal techno at its...housiest?
Audion has a variety of EPs, single-side 12" vinyls, one LP, and a plethora of remixes ripe for listening. No better way to kick this off with a bang, albeit one that's maybe more of a spoken 'boom' than a belted 'bang'!
Audion is dark, skeletal techno had its most naked and revealing. Cathartic when it needs to be and omnipresent, hell, ALL the time, an Audion track brings with it a sense of brooding, disquieting dancefloor drama that can get even the most liberal house fans to dance. A beautiful marriage of minimal and techno that can stretch from one extreme to another at will. Enjoy.
A is for Audion.
-NL
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