Dark Arts 02 comes from the leagues of the old and the surfaces of the new. The opening of the EP explores the deeper side of Techno whilst the flip paddles in the shallows.
Techno is the product of economic redundancy. It is a sound of the financially disenfranchised and socially segregated. Techno came from the crumbling infrastructure of Detroit and the forgotten industrial towns of Britain. But the global downturn hasn’t seen a rebirth of Techno, instead the genre that has been left fallow. Cast your eyes backward and the wealth of Techno is awe inspiring. Thumb through the recent arrivals crate in your local record shop and the feast has turned to outright famine. There are some imprints and artists still flying the flag for the sound, but the vast majority placates. Modern Techno has started to suffer from the dancefloor. Stupefying 4/4 sounds emanating from artists and labels have taken Techno as a title and stuffed it full of grey corduroy. This style of Techno is not a contemporary of the past, rather a Dub dirge and a lamentable product of the Berlin sound. Thankfully there are some managing to evade the horror hype. Stuart Crosbie was well received for his Dark Arts step into machine music. With the acclaim of his label’s debut still ringing the Southerner returns for a second instalment.
The iconic image of Yuri Gagarin remains for Dark Arts 02, and the cosmonaut lends a definite space influence to the sounds opening the EP. “Shimmer” sends bleeps into the stratosphere, bleeps which rebound onto a plateau of gentle bass and retrospective samples. A light piece but one with a weight in terms of quality. “Blue Shift” follows with a 4/4 backdrop before a reticent snare gives way to gentle analogue movements. A similar beat structure supports “Search.” The track is less interesting than its brethren, running along rudimentary modern Techno lines. The reduced sounds of “Dwelling” sees Gagarin’s pod re-enter and the EP close.
Dark Arts 02 comes from the leagues of the old and the surfaces of the new. The opening of the EP explores the deeper side of Techno whilst the flip paddles in the shallows. Dark Arts 02 sees Crosbie investigate some interesting sounds, but it also sees the Brighton artist lose some of the moments of his first EP. Crosbie is an artist with ability, but the market often usurps ability. Dark Arts 02 has flashes of Crosbie’s original outing but gets bogged down in the recent deluge of over-boiled and unimaginative Techno.
Dark Arts 02 is available on Dark Arts. [Buy at Juno]
