Trois

Clean your plate for dessert.



Tres Demented (Laurent Garnier & Carl Craig) - Demented (Or Just Crazy)

This is about as tribal as you'll ever hear Carl Craig go, but I'll be damned if this isn't a dirty, muscular drum workout that literally shakes with a demented, ferocious energy all its own. Frequent bursts of male bellows, yelps, screeches, and gasps punctuate the track and only build the tension that the percussion churns out. This is a full-blown tribal house-fest, and when everything swirls into a crazed, chaotic maelstrom, only to have the kick drop around 3:55...this track explodes from the inside out. A pulsating, looping drone opens up and the track just...well, it just chugs right along. Few tracks ever create this much energy, let alone sustain it. A great peak-time track if used right. Hell, this could probably cause architectural damage...

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Reference - Best Night In Detroit

The B-side to this decidedly "Detroit" release from natives Reference takes a Detroit spin on dub techno that leaves you with a warm feeling all over, even after the track has stopped spinning. One half of the duo, producer Luke Hess's influence is almost immediately noticeable: lush, dub-inflected pads quiver with a depth and peaceful ebb and flow of that good ol' Detroit sound. More rhythmic than the A-side, 'Best Night...' goes for depth and warmth and succeeds definitively, with classic Detroit chords eventually bathing themselves inside this spacious, creamy bath-tub of dub. An introspective turn on a classic sound that's perfect as a techno lullaby as it is a sexy, sensuous Detroit-influenced slab of dub techno. Majestic, powerful...comforting.

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Reshuffle - The Uppershelf

Reshuffle (Guy Gerber & Niv Hadas) appear on Gerber's own 'Supplemental Facts' imprint with yet another slice of dark, ominous techno. After 'Hedonism' (my favorite track of theirs and included on my most recent mix) 'Uppershelf' takes eery metallic pads and reverbs the hell out of them as a warped, rib-crushing bassline creeps out of the ether. A dissonant looped bell tone creates even more tension until what enters? An even MORE creepy synth line that tails off into the distance before cycling back time and time again. This is the very edge of techno before we get into horror territory...but such a well-produced slice of techno that still somehow can get people to dance is a testament to Gerber's fondness for occupying his empty spaces with dissonant ambience, dark, warped basslines, and vaguely eerie synth leads. And he's done it again. This ain't no 'Hedonism', but it can still stand on its own in any set and works great as a near-peak tune. A literal machine of evil.

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Enjoy, friends.
-NL