Before this comparative horse is flogged to death, what Andréasson has done is produced five quite different buildings from very similar materials. This is not a acid or techno renaissance record, but something with a kinder yet sharper countenance (if not a retrograde haircut).
In the wake of their club night’s third birthday, Glasgow based Tabernacle Records serves up its fourth release. The label hasn’t rested easy since its inception, totting up four releases in its six month existence. To date the imprint has received well placed praise with tracks from Arne Weinberg, Fancy & Spook, Ditone, The Analogue Cops and John Heckle across the first three releases. Now Tabernacle Records are premiering Sweden based artist Daniel Andréasson with his first 12” release: The Sentinel EP.
The title track opens the record. As the “The Sentinel” progresses it becomes increasingly difficult to try and set in stone what style Andréasson has adopted. Straight off you’d say this was techno, with a subdued and insular sound that has some of the sinister and acidic influences of Detroit. The beats have more a house feel to them, pitched back alright but not sitting as comfortably in the techno slot. But, the backdrop of the entire scene has something ambient to it; rolling in dense dubby tones. The audio submersion continues with “Ibis228.” Machine beats ricochet off one another as swirls of synth create the core of the track. There is Drexiyan influence to “Ibis228,” but like its predecessor it folds with soporific ambience. The teeth are bared for “Flight 303” as an acid edge eclipses the softer undertones of the forerunners. Andréasson releases a steady 808 stream with acid lines wrenched and tweaked as the track develops into quite a crisp piece. The ambient underpinnings come to a head with “Gerdsken” on the flipside. This beatless piece of warm drone, with its gentle key taps, throws up memories of ISAN or some of Accelera Deck’s more ambient moods. “cONCUSSION36” sees out The Sentinel. Some of the energy of “Flight 303” is carried over, with broad chords interlaced by hi hat house beats. Echoes of J.T.C.’s more expressive and searching sound is present in this final piece. The track has a dreamlike quality to it, with a reverberating melody spinning over a steady mechanic rhythm.
Andréasson has delved into a number of different styles for “The Sentinel.” It’s not that he is crossing over wide genre gulfs, instead he is toying with the split hair definitions of them. Ambient warmth washes over guttural 303 lines as beats rise and judder to meet their maker’s needs. In some respects the tracks have a 90s feel; Andréasson made the sounds he wanted using the equipment he liked, and the machinery he had. Some of the sounds could sit happily on one of the more sophisticated Rising High ambient collections. Other tracks have an early Rephlex note; being similar to Synectics and their wavering spaced sounds and acid musings. Before this comparative horse is flogged to death, what Andréasson has done is produced five quite different buildings from very similar materials. This is not a acid or techno renaissance record, but something with a kinder yet sharper countenance (if not a retrograde haircut). An excellent début from the Swede, and a solid addition to the Tabernacle roster.
The Sentinel EP is out now on Tabernacle.
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