La Beauté Du Négatif has quietly become on top quality record label. Despite having a catalogue of just seven releases, eight now, the Italian imprint has managed to excavate rich seams of techno, to explore the grimy gutters of industrial and to dive into currents of acid.
La Beauté Du Négatif has quietly become on top quality record label. Despite having a catalogue of just seven releases, eight now, the Italian imprint has managed to excavate rich seams of techno, to explore the grimy gutters of industrial and to dive into currents of acid. The most wide ranging journeys have come on the label’s compilations, their collections of local talent and admired artists. That tradition continues into the third installment, V.A. 3.
Penelope’s Fiance opens the EP, a Thessaloniki artist who has plumbed the depths of depravity on Clan Destine and Contort Yourself. “If You Want More,You’ll Get Less” is angry through and through. Riffs are burned and charred with cigarettes, beats are shot through with glass and gravel, in a track of DIY techno deviance that gut amplifiers. SSIEGE follows with quite a different offering. “Arborea” is an off-kilter piece of tribalized electronics. Drums stumble and stagger on a slippery stone footpath of airy tones and rattling rain-sticks. An intriguing track from an up and coming artist. DJ Guy ends the 12” with another duffel bag find, at least I’m guessing it’s from his 90s productions based on the title “CDIIF Quad Side B Trk 7.” The track introduces itself with soaring strings in a superbly grand manner before snare filled shells bombard the piece. Balancing chaotic fast pace rhythms with a lilting melody, DJ Guy delivers a master work of drill and bass that can sit proudly next to any of classics from the Richard D. James album.
I’m half waiting for La Beauté Du Négatif to disappoint with one of its releases. With every 12” this Italian imprint has come up with the musical goods and its latest is no exception. From doom laden techno to hope-filled elation, V.A.3 is quality through and through. My only hope is that number three doesn’t mean an end of this compilation series, a series which has been one of the best electronic collections in the last five years.
V.A. 3 is available on La Beauté Du Négatif.
