Within the bubbles and bulges of those trademark liquid lines, lurk dancefloor threats and armchair introspection. A wonderful record.
Within the bubbles and bulges of those trademark liquid lines
Record labels should strive to release lesser heard artists and new talent. Obvious? Maybe. Yet, it can actually be a daunting task to throw caution to the wind. Many try to bolster their fledgling producers with remixes by so-and-so or an edit by such-and-such. Operating an imprint is not for the thin-skinned or those lacking resilience, it favors the brave.
Gated Recordings fall into this latter category. Based in Britain, this trailblazing platform has an ear for what works. They were on it when the likes of The Jaffa Kid and Sound Synthesis were cutting their teeth. The label, ran DJ Node and Jadey Smith, also seeks to give space to newcomers like Marcela Dias Sindaco and Near Stoic, both of whom had 12”s this year. Something else that sets Gated apart, their unwavering commitment to the album. 2023 saw three double LPs hitting shelves, including Helical Structures.
Dircsen has dedicated his sound to the TB303. His Soundcloud page reads, “I do no follow trends.” This might be an understatement. For almost twenty years, the German artist has sought to uncover new sounds from this silver bass-box with releases for the likes of Endless Illusion, his own Soundtravels and, most recently, We’re Going Deep.
Helical Structures is a deep study of acid with Dircsen exploring a spread of styles through his favourite instrument. The cold and distant “Analogue Data Processing” opens. Beats stripped back, a steady rasp over toms allowing a morphing melody to occupy the lion’s share of the speakers as ominous clouds gather. Absorbing complex percussion introduces “Fragments,” key stabs and warm pads descend before a squiggle or two of organic squirm is applied. The influence of Detroit arrives with the title piece. Loops of rich bass are punctured by crisp beats as a mechanised menace looms. The inspiration of the U.S. continues into “Jack Your Head.” Claps and hi-hats are polluted by an all-consuming acid line, a balking brutish bassline that mutates into a traumatising house horror.
The journey continues into the second record, the investigation focusing on how the TB303 can act as a counterbalance to more fluid ambient tones with “Melting Point.” The biggest bruiser of the album comes in the gargantuan shape of “Outrageous Breach.” A slow-burn acid banger, the track simmers to a head-boiling ten minutes while maintaining a knife-edge tension throughout. A bare braindance meets house in “Synthetic Rhythm (Know Where Mix).” A bending, noodling, knob twisting acid line wriggles and writhes atop a shallow bed of drum patterns as haunting harmonies float just within earshot. The curtain fall comes with the stomp and groove of “Through Fusion.” Rising and falling, reverb rinsed waves are hammered and pierced in this brawny close.
Helical Structures showcases the breadth of Dircsen’s craft. Yes, he is wedded to his Roland machine; however, to define him by it is a disservice. Within the bubbles and bulges of those trademark liquid lines, lurk dancefloor threats and armchair introspection. A wonderful record.
Helical Structurs is available on Gated. [Bandcamp]
