It is difficult not to heave a sigh as this compilation collection comes to a close. Not since the 1990s has the sheer musical quality of DE10.01 been brought together. Although there is disappointment in an end, the silver lining is far more optimistic. The interest that De:tuned have generated with this collection is palpable, the re-ignition of past masters remarkable and the support given to new talent truly admirable. This is the legacy of this anniversary series, and long may it continue.
It is with a heavy heart that this positive news is announced. De:tuned have reached the final 12” in their anniversary series. Over nine records the best of electronic music have been gathered. Past archives have been combed with archaeological precision to uncover lost tracks, new pieces have been commissioned and a record label and sound have been triumphantly celebrated. And now, the last instalment, number ten.
The duo of Andy Turner and Ed Hanley, fresh from their recent appearance on DE10:09 (not to mention their album Polymer), are up on remix duty to start the show. Humanoid’s acidic sledgehammer “sT8818r” is the source material from which the pair work with the duo doing a fine job. The same intensity, the same squirming sourness of the TB303 is present, with the decades’ long partnership injecting their own jittering chameleon-like energy through fizzing percussion and foaming rinses. Erik Van Den Broek returns, following his Expressed EP, with a piece steeped in the star gazing of 90s techno. Twinkling machine light is shadowed in “Primrose (Mix 2)” by a hazy kick. Basslines bubble and squirm to a vanishing point, echoing ever outward as spatial grandeur is combined with earth textures. What unfolds is a sub-aquatic odyssey through the heavens, an audio dream of astral analogue immersion dipped in the wonders below the waterline. Steven Rutter, of B12 and Firescope fame, opens the flip. “Formulate” follows a similar trajectory to “Primrose.” From a daub-like bass blooms a bright yet fragile melody. Rutter nurtures the composition, subtly adding layers, kindling a rich sonic stratum, until a complex and deep work has taken root. Slow and purposeful beats are the foundation from which Lone weaves his “Dream Ache.” Daring and dynamic, the English artist adopts a spread of sounds as he adapts styles to fit his bold statement.
It is difficult not to heave a sigh as this compilation collection comes to a close. Not since the 1990s has the sheer musical quality of DE10.01 been brought together. Although there is disappointment in an end, the silver lining is far more optimistic. The interest that De:tuned have generated with this collection is palpable, the re-ignition of past masters remarkable and the support given to new talent truly admirable. This is the legacy of this anniversary series, and long may it continue.
DE:10.10 is available on De:tuned.
