Resurrecting the sounds of the 90s.
I’ve a soft spot for Techno. It’s the genre that introduced me to electronic music and has quite a bit of nostalgia attached to it for me. It’s also the kind of genre I’ll happily, and drunkenly, start ranting about at parties. UK imprints like A13, B12, New Electronica and, of course, Warp and Rephlex were some of the first Techno platforms I found. As I continued to dig in Dublin’s record crates, and search the burgeoning internet, other labels such as Eevolute, Djax Up Beats and Axodya were unearthed. It was while perusing Axodya’s back catalog recently that I came across a new, yes new, release by Mike Dred under his Kosmik Kommando moniker. This new release, Overmind, is on Belgium’s De:tuned, a label with a purpose: resurrecting the sounds of the 90s.
For their latest the Antwerp imprint has resurrected tracks from a ten year period, 1991-2001, from one of the godfathers, Thomas P. Heckmann, for Acid Wreckage. The two pieces of wax have been revived from decaying DAT and map an evolution in this trailblazers sound. Scorched on blood red vinyl are eight pieces of never heard material. Grab a towel if you’re finding saliva dripping onto your keyboard. From start to finish the double 12” is synth savagery. Beats punch. Bars slice. Basslines bruise. This isn’t pastiche, this is authentic Acid from the days of…Acid. Amidst the barbarism are islands of respite, oases of calm but still tainted by caustic chords, as with the tranquil blasts of “AGEtation.” Tempos flare, some tracks blitzing BPMs with a dismissive swipe. “Speed Of Time” bolts out of the stall at greyhound speed, “Program Zero” later zipping by with two fingers. But not all is breakneck speed, tracks like “Jacktrax 2” focus on percussion for a beat laden House brew while “Toddlers Twist” is measured and hypnotic. A balancing act of profanity and absolute brutality.
Other artists who have graced the label to date are Robert Leiner with his brand of 303 drenched vulgarity, Stanny Franssen with analogue aggression and with promises of a five 12” compilation (echoes of In Order to Dance) this is a label already taking serious shape.
I know there are those out there who say “leave the past to itself.” There are people who look eagerly to the new wave of electronic musicians. I say grand. But everyone has thought about the amazing amount of unreleased material lying around in the cupboards and attics of past greats; Caustic Window album anyone? It is still extremely difficult to access early Techno, with artists like Synectics having a mere handful of Youtube videos. I’m not getting gooey eyed for the 90s, although I did buy three Eevolute compilations recently. What I’m getting at, in a round about way, is the benefit of this return. With all the formulaic House drowning everything alongside the move to emotionless zombie Berghain monotony this return to the masters is a well needed booster shot. A well needed second look for us aging machine men and a schooling for those who otherwise just would not know.
De:tuned, I salute you.
