Globular Clusters collects three pieces of wonderfully immersive works of Detroit tinted techno. Functionality steeped in form.
Portugal isn’t famed for electronics. I can’t think of many artists or labels hailing from the extreme West of Europe. But that does not mean that there is no activity. A new label, coming from Porto, has just been set up. Helena opens its door with the duo of Matteo Chisari and Mario Resta better known as Hinode.
I first came across them after their excellent remix of Titonton’s Provocative on aDepth Audio and was immediately impressed. This pair of Italians have been releasing for a couple of years now, their output being focused on their Science Fiction imprint. Globular Clusters collects three pieces of wonderfully immersive works of Detroit tinted techno. The A is occupied by “Cubic Parsec,” the heaviest of its siblings. Patterns pound as sheets of sound are pierced by the acrid skirl of a slicing 303. Toms form a foundation for sky seeking synthlnes as “Linear Equation” takes hold. The track is a simmered reduction, a slow burner lovingly blended. The finale arrives with clipped snares and a warbling groove. Beats break and return, hi-hats puncturing a thick cloth of almost ambient reverb.
When I first heard Hinode I was struck by the honesty of their music. I’m well aware that’s a more than woolly statement, but it’s true. This is dancefloor music, it’s techno and no bones about it. But, behind the steady rhythms lurk a musicality and an undercurrent of warmth and a touch of sorrow. It’s when the partnership put the percussion to one side where their sound really sings. This is what Globular Clusters has, functionality steeped in form.
Globular Clusters is available on Helena.
