International talent has been sourced and brought together alongside local analogue men to showcase a melting pot of Techno, House, Electro and Acid.
There are a number of decent music nights in Madrid. Sure there could be more, but the ones which are already established draw and good crowd and choose their guests wisely. It was at one such night, Femur, that I met the owner of two labels, each with their own specific focus. But let’s not get too complicated, Polybius Trax is a good place to start.
This Barcelona label is a dancefloor orientated, growing out of the infamous venue Moog. The rumblings of the late 80s and early 90s echo within. The growl of the 303. The shred and snap of vintage machine drums. Moog Your Body 1 is split, side A featuring better known names with lesser-knowns occupying the B. Ireland’s Automatic Tasty opens the EP with “Vowel Sounds.” Classic Altern8 style samples are employed, extended floor whoops and woos cut with warbling chords. Skam and I HEART ACID veterans Posthuman are up next, those ageless ravers turning back the clock to the Summer of Love. Sistema, aka Manel Ruiz, has been releasing his own brand of electronics for near a decade. Ruiz delivers a House soaked 90s floor obliterator. The finale comes from the shadowed wings. 6tma get the fog machine humming. Warehouse, strobe, sweat, samples and red-blooded basslines.
Moog Your Body 2 is in the pipeline and has all the raw energy of its big brother. France’s Minimum Syndicat drop Acid from a height, before fellow Frenchman Umwelt bends the boundaries of Electro with “Motor Coordination.” 6tma returns, this time with “Christopher Rave.” Big melodies and even bigger vocals. Don’t be surprised if flashbacks of 90s raving take hold, this is normal. The final comes from a strange place. I first encountered Roger Van Lunteren many moons ago on Cashier Escape Route, a compilation from City Centre Offices. His track from that collection, N-2097, is a gentle lullaby fringed by Industrial beats. That percussion has followed into Van Lunteren’s return. Scratched up rhythm is further soiled with 303 warpings and windswept fade.
Polybius Trax has made two bold statements with these compilations. International talent has been sourced and brought together alongside local analogue men to showcase a melting pot of Techno, House, Electro and Acid. The Catalan question may be a controversial topic across Spain, but there is no doubt as to the electronic quality on display.
Moog Your Body is available on Polybus Trax.
