As many of my readers know, I love techno. Not the derivative stuff. No, the full-on, gloriously unabashed techno that comes from great labels like Ostgut Tontrager.
German producer Len Faki has released on Figure, Podium, and Ostgut Ton, among others, even being selected to mix the third entry in the prodigious Berghain series of mix CDs, even if his outing was subpar. From what I have heard of Faki, the man loves to indulge listeners in elaborate techno odysseys; lush, intricate journeys of rhythm and simple melodies that spiral and loop in any number of ways through the course of a track.
On "Rainbow Delta / Mekong Delta", the fourth release on Ostgut Ton back in 2007, Faki is at his best, serving up two equally entrancing slices of techno for your hungry ears.
RAINBOW DELTA: Here Faki's penchant for depth and ambience shine in a number of different ways. While nothing is overly special about his drum production, it is the method by which Faki creates a bed of sound that awes and entrances the listener. The kick, toms, and hi-hats are all here, but Faki's production bathes the whole affair in a gauzy, pointedly sharp ambience that sounds almost oxymoronic on first listen: why would you counterpoise the sharp, structured rhythms of techno against the warm, spacey synths that Faki seems to favor so? The more you listen, though, the two compliment each other wonderfully. The simplistic melodic element weaves itself perfectly amongst the glossy, ambient pads, and the dense rhythm section patters along to the point where you hardly notice it as the synth glides, flutters, and winds its way around the central percussive structure. While it is not the easiest thing to dance to, Faki demonstrates a deft hand for production by molding a track that interweaves tribal, techno, and ambient influences into a soothing, rhythmic escapade that you won't soon forget.
4/5
-------------------------------------------------
MEKONG DELTA: Now THIS is where Faki shines: something of equal depth and technical prowess like the last track, but something that shakes and sputters and gets you to dance. Mekong Delta immediately grabs your attention with a thick tribal kick that rattles your very core. While Faki has his feet firmly rooted in techno territory, the synth riff that pervades the entire track exercises a liberal use of echo and delay, drifting in and out of consciousness and focus, sometimes at the forefront, other times, hovering with an air of near-obscolencense in the background. The vicious toms and wickedly powerful ride are employed to perfect effect here, contrasting the slow-burning, drunkenly melancholy synth line with tight, blunt sound production that brings you back into the fold of the track before the toms and kick thunder back into rhythm. A deep thunderclap of a cut that reflects patience, technique, and a beautifully contrasting sound mechanic that makes these eight minutes some of the best Ostgut Ton has ever released. Definitely worth a listen or five.
5/5
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
A remix EP followed this stellar released, featuring Adam Beyer and Jerome Sydenham on remix duties. Let's CHECK 'EM OUT!
Adam Beyer first turns up to remix the beautifully crafted "Mekong Delta". Beyer, the Swedish mastermind behind Drumcode, flips "Mekong" on its head with his remix. While Faki saw the majesty and depth in "Mekong", Beyer highlights the sound effects that Faki employed for contrast. Faki saw beauty. Beyer opts for hysteria. His madness is one of mechanized monstrosity, jettisoning the depth in favor of a mechanical approach that turns "Mekong" into a clicky, teched-out monster of a cut. The ride is used ad nauseum, while Beyer replaces Faki's deep drums with a beastly Detroit kick that pulsates with the warped-straight-to-hell synth line that quivers and rides the rhythm with a ferocious tenacity. Beyer's remix moves at a hundred miles a minute, crafting a dancefloor-driven work that, while not as poignant as the original, indeed showcases Beyer's love of all things Detroit and the sickeningly wonky and maniacal side of techno that he has been known to create.
(couldn't find ANY videos...sorry! Will edit when and if I find any.)
On the flip, Jerome Sydenham of Apotek (of which he is a founder) and Drumcode turns up to futz with "Rainbow Delta". His remix plays to the opposite tune of Beyer: by establishing a rhythmic structure the original lacked, Sydenham gives the ambience top-billing, letting it caress his percussion from all sides and all angles. The percussion here is much more traditional techno: ad nauseum applied hi-hats, a not-too-deep kick, and no ride to be found anywhere! The groove here is part percussion part ambience, with Sydenham dropping it all together halfway through to let his reworked melodic element ride the hi-hats for a spell. Slowly but surely, the other elements return to the fold, before all the elements swirl together in an elated, harmonic cacophony of sound, finally letting the simple hi-hat/kick motif lead the ambient pads out the backdoor as the hissing and swirling sigh away into the ether.
------
------
------
------
------
Two wonderful cuts of deep techno with two great remixes to boot! What is there NOT to love? Let the rain fall down...yeah, I'll stop right there. Enjoy folks.
-NL
No comments:
Post a Comment