(July 2010) Italy has always had an affinity for electronic music. True, some times the Italian way with the synthesizer went awry, late Italo for example, but for the long run it has been a pretty good relationship. In recent years labels like Minimal Rome have been leading the way in the Italian electronic scene. 2010 marks a new leaf in the Italian electronic catalogue, The Gods Planet. The label has a pretty meager summary on the modern necessity that is discogs.com but the style tag throws up some interesting words: techno, acid, experimental. But is the debut release of this new imprint all it is cracked up to be?
The analogue centric three tracker starts out with the ominously titled “No Religion.” The track echoes the rawness of 90’s techno, lengthy, looping to a build. The track doesn’t move into aggressive floor territory, but moves along softer lines of analogue warmth. The titles stay on a similar path, with “No Nation” following. Subtle acid undertones bubble under a compressed air of snare and bass. The track harks back to an almost forgotten techno sound, a slower floor aspect which just isn’t heard as much today. To bring the EP full circle, “No Politics” ends. The track ups the tempo, pushing energy through solid beats and a hazy melodic backdrop. Nice piece to end on.
Something in these tracks is reminiscent. In many respects, The Gods Planet has an almost early UK techno slant to its sound rather than its local contemporaries of Nature and Passarani. I don’t mean Aphex Twin or The Black Dog when I say UK techno, but not a million miles off. The EP could almost slip its way into the New Electronica back catalogue, or that of General Production Records (GPR.) There is something comforting and commendable in the production and sound of this first EP, one that is retrospective but more to the point well done. The Gods Planet are toeing a different line, one not heard all that much in today’s techno scene.
EP 01 is out now on The Gods Planet.
