530Techno: Lateral Excursions 01
I don’t often feature albums here. But for quality techno label 530Techno I’m prepared to make an exception. Especially since it’s their first album release. And you get some tracks for free download.
There’s always been something willful about 530Techno’s releases. A location in rural California is far from techno’s inner city roots. There’s no recognition of prevailing trends, be it peaking electro house or dustep that affects so much of what passes for US dance these days. The album is a collection of those artists who have had releases on the label over the last year. But again the willfulness comes through. Instead of a Greatest Hits type approach, which would be the conventional (sensible?) thing for a young label to do, they’ve gone for a complete set of unreleased mixes. Brave yes, but fiscally sensible? Whatever, we are the beneficiaries.
The album opens with a new mix of Lady Blacktronica’s Good Traxx (previously here). The original release had a healthy dollop of soul. This remix by Daxophonics takes some 70s funk and a bit of 80s austere electro to give a really good dancefloor feel. Next Sishi Rosch remixes Chris Fortier’s Unleaded (previously here). The original was a spartan bit of acid techno. This version is considerably warmer and the track drifts into a Detroit strings style. Very nice. Lady Blacktronica comes back for a second turn with Jon McMillion’s remix of All God’s Black Children. This is a dub mix that might just work on a dance floor but lacks enough variation in the cold light of the kitchen. JAK & LilRoj (previously here) get remixed by Angel Alanis. Here’s something properly leftfield. A moody techno tune with a wobbly bass. Great stuff. Chris Fortier provides a dub mix of his own Leadwave. This is another moody tune but somehow lacks a bit of spark.
JAK & LilRoj come back to remix Stunp & Symbio’s Wurl (previously here). This was a great tune in its original mix and is another great tune in this remix. All twisted organ sounds. Stunp then remixes REP-CAK (previously here) into a bit of mittel European metallic techno. Somewhat out of step from the rest of the album. Ribbon Tweeter Worship (previously here) gets Chris Fortier to provide a different remix to that which appeared originally. Where the original mix was acid-infused, this one is a tech funk remix. Rather fine. Oilpanic’s TWL2 (previously here) gets a Pointbender remix which makes the most of the Rakim sample in a superb tech house funk version. Finally, Pointbender’s gets a Symbio remix and ends the album on another high. This starts off in an elegant, classical early 90s techno style before going almost symphonic in a grand manner, allowing synths to ebb and swell against tom tom beats. Until, at last only the synth remains. And then I had to play it all again.
Whilst not perfect, this diverse, quality album is a techno lovers dream. You should buy it next week. In the meantime, here’s the free downloads:
Lady Blacktronika – Good Traxx (Daxophonics Edit)
Chris Fortier – Unleaded (Sishi Rosch’s Haunted Acid Strings)
Pointbender – Semicircle (Symbio Remix)
