[Clone release page] Dub Techno is a strange beast. For those of you unsure of what this creature is: let me explain. Dub Techno is a predominantly German creation. Slow, or low, beats, bubbling undercurrents and an overall soft aspect. Sort of like club oriented ambient music, leaning more to the club. Echospace would be an example of modern Dub Techno if that helps. It’s a strange beast as it seems to drop in and out of favour. At one moment a lovable pet, the next a dull pest. It’s a sound with more positives then negatives; but it can suffer from repetition. A tautological sound as it were.
Kryptic Universe comes from a Dub Techno background, with a host of releases for Melted Recordings. Kryptic Universe, aka Stephan Schindler, has tweaked the Dub formula throughout his career. Detroit, Acid and Electronics are part of his sound. Striesman has pulled at the seams of Dub, exploring what is possible and Kryptic Universe continues his experiments on Germany’s Lockertmatik.
JC Michigan seems to show its cards from the outset, reference to the American Mid-West in the title might give something away. “Dark Buildings” opens and the track builds slowly with echoed dub whispering in the wings—lumbering, reinforced and analogue. “SW Backdraft” brings a griminess to the proceedings as thick acid bars bulge behind submerged beats. The title piece follows a similar line. Across the EP Striesman builds measured mechanical vistas with claustrophobic undercurrents. “Sync 3 (Plastic Phreak Remix)” brings the record to a close. The finale is the acidic of the record, with 303 lines coiling themselves around sharp beats and an atmospheric backdrop.
This isn’t Detroit techno, nor is it Dub; it’s something between the two and JC Michigan slides between the rawness of Underground Resistance and the insular burbling of Quantec. Kryptic Universe’s sound is similar in parts to Marco Bernardi, some Redshape and even a touch of Bvdub. A deep sound for dark industrial spaces.
JC Michigan is available on Lockertmatik. Buy at Clone.
