Somehow, Balrak has managed to escape all the modern trappings associated with techno. There are no house jabs in there, nor slants of electro. Even the production sounds like it was made in Eindhoven or Detroit circa ’94, not Rotterdam 2010.
Writing about records is all about comparison. The sounds can be described, synthesizer and drum machine names can be dropped to give a bit extra. The tone could be compared to a literary piece, or the mood to a film. Yet, it is comparison that lies at the root. One thing that you rarely find is the subject of the comparison being an almost mirror image to the object. With the latest 12” by E-Activity I found this striking anomaly.
Marvin Balrak’s Syn-Po-Tek does not sound like 90’s techno; it is 90’s techno. This is max404. This is Joey Beltram. This is Djax Up Beats. It is 90’s techno. It isn’t techno made today that sounds like it could be slotted into the genre of 90’s techno, (sorry to employ such blatant tautology) it is 90’s techno. The two tracker opens with the title piece of “Syn-Po-Tek.” Flick through your records, maybe focus on dutch techno from 1993 or so. This is “Syn-Po-Tek.” The fast pace, the blurring of full bodied synths into juddering stabs. Even at -8 the track is a full blown piece of club techno. In a lot of respects the track is probably too fast but it does have a nose bleed charm to it. “Electropolis meets Technopolis” is a much more civilized affair. A solid Detroit influenced piece of techno with nice broad chords. A bit of pounding returns, but in comparison to “Syn-Op-Tek” the b-side is a much less savage piece of music. The pace is still quite relentless, but that’s what it’s about it seems.
Somehow, Balrak has managed to escape all the modern trappings associated with techno. There are no house jabs in there, nor slants of electro. Even the production sounds like it was made in Eindhoven or Detroit circa ’94, not Rotterdam 2010. If you’re finding a lot of techno these days to be a bit on the mild side then give Syn-Po-Tek a go. Close yours eyes and you might think you’re actually buried in some underground club off Schonhauser Alle. Open ’em and you just might be.
Syn-Po-Tek is out now on E-Activity.
