On hearing Chrome I thought of how much I enjoy listening to this kind of music during these long cold winter nights. And I do. But that’s not exactly true. I like listening to this kind of techno rain, hail or shine.
The search for techno returns with Glasgow based diametric fielding its latest outing. On the back of the excellent FBK The Expert Escapist comes label boss Arne Weinberg with Chrome. Weinberg has an impressive back catalogue, twenty plus records released since 2001 on labels like Abstract Forms, Echocord and Frantic Flowers, but this is his first 12” for Diametric.
The four-tracker opens in the cascading depths of the title track, “Chrome.” Under a veil of rainfall and panting breath enter a rolling snare that slices through the shroud of dense bass and analogue bars. “Whispers & Echoes” is a more of a light-hearted affair than its predecessor. The track is like looking back into the past days of UK techno, with warbling synthlines running parallel to sharp beats. The flip starts out with “Motive Force.” An element of Detroit enters the equation with this piece, yet it still feels rooted in the 90s UK sound. The track was destined for release on Transmat but got sidelined, thankfully now it is seeing the Ortofon Pro S (or whatever needle you might have.) The track sounds like it as easily be an out-take from Warp’s Artificial Intelligence series. The beats have an electro tweak to them, with snares dropping just so, but the lines are pure Stasis material. Chrome comes full circle with “Nights of Sancity.” The tempo is raised for the finale with fast beats flowing over subtle synth movements. Weinberg drops in a sublime string to add that flash of brilliance to the closer to elevate the track into something immense.
On hearing Chrome I thought of how much I enjoy listening to this kind of music during these long cold winter nights. And I do. But that’s not exactly true. I like listening to this kind of techno rain, hail or shine. Weinberg’s sound had its heyday in the early to mid 90s and has almost completely disappeared today. Weinberg is one of the few who has the talent to still create these wonderfully rich pieces of techno without cheapening them into floor stompers or quirky crap. Thankfully someone, in the city I live, is pioneering this sound and making my winter days, spring days, summer days and autumn days that bit fuller for it. Let it snow.
Chrome EP is out now on Diametric.
