Planet Underground is obscure Techno from a golden age for the sound. But Planet Underground is not just a product of the age, he is an exemplar. Brawny and brilliant.
[Release page] People who listen to electronic music are generally harkers. That is in the sense, “to hark.”
Hark (härk). intr.v. harked, hark·ing, harks. To listen attentively. Idiom: hark back. To return to a previous point, as in a narrative.
There is often a nostalgic decree of: “It was better in the 90s.” The other parental style: “There’s nothing decent nowadays.” And perhaps the premier: “It’s no Detroit.” Yes, the above harkers are of a Techno and Electro persuasion. House can come into it, but most harkers are reminiscing to a golden age of Techno and Electro. I’ll admit, I hark. Sometimes lyrically. But it’s hard to hark too much with the abundance of contemporary quality arriving. Nevertheless, there are labels that are not so much harking as actively bringing the past to life. Techno has somewhat missed a lot of the resurgence which Synth Wave and Italo have enjoy. But there are imprints giving the forgotten a voice. Welcome to Elektrokuehlung.
The German imprint has two releases to date, both from Planet Underground. An artist from the mid 90s, Planet Underground’s focus was on subterranean Acid and raw Detroit Techno. Elektrokuehlung first resurrected him last year for the Robotron EP. The EP seems to have slipped under most radars. An absolutely awesome piece of litmus tested Techno. Mechanical, industrial, tweaked and sepulchral. Similar to early Acid Planet and Bunker and totally terrific. Now it’s time for number two.
“Mister Incognito’s Secret Lab” is 4/4 nosebleed. The track is hard, callous and deathly. A piece born out of corrupted synths and a drum machine, Planet Underground concocts a work of brutality. Immediate comparisons would come from labels like Djak Up Beats, Synewave or Axoyda. Punishing, misanthropic and relentless. The tongue twister titled “Wärmeleit-Vakuummessgerät MWT 402” follows. More complex than its predecessor, “W-K MWT 402” is a warbling piece of surgical acid. Eclipsed and sordid with some aspects of modern Jak sound embedded. A cracking closer.
It’s great to flick through your records and pick out something from the past; something familiar; something which invokes memories. It’s a dangerous game getting too fond of harking, but maybe even more dangerous to forget the past. Planet Underground is obscure Techno from a golden age for the sound. But Planet Underground is not just a product of the age, he is an exemplar. Brawny and brilliant.
Mister Incognito’s Secret Lab is available on Elektrokuehlung. [Release page]
