Nuclear Techno bulging with a primal power and unforgiving wallop. Minimum Syndicat deliver the payload. An all-consuming, and in many ways refreshing, mushroom cloud of brutality.
A couple of months back I found myself in Ghent at 15 Years of Retro Acid. Strangely enough this sleepy Belgian town, criss-crossed with canals and dotted with impressive Cathedrals, is also home to an avid 303 audience.
“And you’ve come here from—and why have you come here?”
This was the general line of enquiry from young Belgians in a packed ballroom sweating to the pounding sounds of Phuture 303. This event, with its smiley eyed vision of the 90s warehouse scene, was what immediately jumped into my mind when I first heard Minimum Syndiicat. This French imprint, and Techno outfit, has been running for a number of years and focuses on the harder sounds of Techno. BPMs are high, as are energy levels, with Minimum Syndicat doling out new and old world talent in the realm of heart racing Electronics.
Across their seven record back catalog Minimum Syndicat have dished up neighbors bangin’ on the walls Acid rotted Techno. Masters of Electro and Techno have been part of the label since its beginning with the likes of Umwelt, Shadow Runner (Boris Divider) and Ege Bam Yasi offering up tracks. But at the core has been a revival of adrenaline filled Acid fueled annihilation.
For their most recent, Fortress of Noise, Minimum Syndicat serve a four tracker. Two tracks are by the residents and MS do not disappoint. 5am face melters are beat out of speakers. Relentless and unforgiving, “Dethrone” and “Shenyang Dark Sword” immediately transport the listener to the packed raves of the 90s. Basslines molest, snares infringe and outrage is given center stage. Depraved and divine terror reminiscent of Acid Planet and Djak Up Beats. The UK’s George Lanham keeps the party pounding into the wee hours with “Fulbourn Haze.” Serrated beats slice dark gashes into the approaching dawn, beats raining down in a torrent of bullets before destruction descends. Pretty rave-infested stuff. The prelude to reality come with Jauzas The Shining and Dmitry Distant. “Deux” is a cerebral piece of Electronics. Samples are central, beats supporting the spatial chords and for a track of Frustrated Funk memories.
It’s a funny thing. House has been getting the royal revival for a few years now and Electronica has maintained a decent quota of quality. Electro has a growing following and Italo is still a firm favorite for a lot of people. But Techno, hard edged Techno, seems to have fallen by the wayside. Nuclear Techno bulging with a primal power and unforgiving wallop. Minimum Syndicat deliver the payload. An all-consuming, and in many ways refreshing, mushroom cloud of brutality from the men of Minimum Syndicat.
Visit Minimum Syndicat at www.minimumsyndicat.com.
