Myk Derill has done the Berlin techno scene proud on Relocation—the tracks adhere to the formula, but the tough slant gives them some extra girth.
Electronic music has quite a rotary quality to it. Styles and genres come in swings and roundabouts. The past decade saw a resurgence in disco and italo. At the moment we’re in a house revival. These are not stand alone phenomena, and influences bleed into one another. But, at broad strokes, there are flavours of the month. Arguably, the constant in electronic music is techno. It is a term under whose banner some of the best and worst electronic music has been made. It’s a word that has been hijacked and counter-hijacked, vilified and beatified by artists and labels since the genre tag was first coined. Trying to make its way in the murky waters of techno is RE(FORM). The label, hailing from Britain, has been sinking its oars into analogue currents since 2011 ad the infant imprint returns for its seventh outing Myk Derill and Relocation.
Derill opens the taps with “Ivto.” The track comes from the Berlin dub-techno tradition. Insulated bass competes with a steady beat and rumbling snaps. “Otherside” follows in a similar vein. Industrial undertones pulsate as the track lumbers forward, brutalizing speakers into submission. A vocal lance penetrates to reduce the pressure before the machinery and pistons of “Drop Ceiling” descends. The track is a clanking beast, a veteran piece of clatter and crash. Luiz Ruiz is drafted in on remix duty for a take on “Otherside.” The track has its moments, at times ringing true, but falls short of the original.
Myk Derill is a product of the Berlin techno scene. For years Berlin eclipsed much of the world’s techno, sitting pride of place in record stores due in large to fashion. But the German capital has delivered some choice pieces. Myk Derill has done the sound proud on Relocation. The tracks adhere to the formula, but the tough slant gives them some extra girth. The record doesn’t turn this genre upside down, but it is a solid addendum for those with a taste for the dauby sounds of dub.
Relocation is available on RE(FORM). Buy at Juno.
