Tabenacle continues to hit the right underworld notes, darkened dancefloors and heavy fog for some blackened electronics from the sleep deprived.
Fresh from their recent trip to the pressing plant with Mark Du Mosch’s Freewind, and revived after a cracking mix for ourselves at Igloo, Tabernacle Records is back to what it does best; releasing excellent electronics. Sleep seems to be an unnecessary luxury,y with the men from Tabernacle labouring at the coal face of Electro, House, Ambient and Techno. It is the latter we turn.
Lost Trax have been one of Taberacle’s top findings. This UK outfit do what few can today, make Techno of pure quality. Undaunted by the pressures of Berghain or Minimal, Lost Trax have bolstered their back catalog with a selection of toughened cerebral machine music. Their latest, Hidden Agenda, sees some of that harder side explored. The title track is a superb piece. Ambient ridges are the landscape on which a Techno narrative is constructed. Machine pulses give structure, beats puncturing the initial calm before the ashen clouds of Acid form. Sounds contort and twist but the track never sidesteps the sensitivities of the 90s Techno sound, instead Lost Trax work within those admirable parameters of B12 and New Electronica. “Creatures” sees some of the starker elements of Electro enter. Space atmospherics shimmering and ascend from a bedrock of clicking rhythms. A slicing melody compliments the floating harmonies for a sound akin to E.R.P. or Plant43. The bruiser is kept captive until the end. “Hidden Agenda I75 Soundbound Mix” is heavy on the beats and bass with pulverizing claps and rasps introducing a subdued 303. As the 808 pours forth its mechanical deluge the Acid lines come to bear. The track adopts some harshness from its House cousin with tweaking and eight car pile-up snares. A destroyer to close.
It’s great to see Lost Trax getting the full vinyl treatment, and they do not disappoint. A track of dreamy Electro musings sandwiched between two venom spiting Techno behemoths. Tabenacle continues to hit the right underworld notes, darkened dancefloors and heavy fog for some blackened electronics from the sleep deprived.
Hidden Agenda is available on Tabernacle.
