Robert Hood – Shaker/Ritual

My, but these are two uber intense – though still very danceable – tunes from the doyen of stripped down Detroit techno.

A savagely unforgiving bass beat opens ‘Shaker,’ pounding you into submission before it’s barely begun, then rapidly adding slashing drum beats, harsh handclaps, a snatched vocal sample and drawn out synth to ram home the point in as uncompromising a way as possible. An all out techno assault if you will, hair-raising but utterly mesmeric.

Much the same can be said of ‘Ritual’ which possesses a similarly potent beat but uses it to support a dense, frantic rhythm of rasping high-hats and caustic synths which vibrate back and forth in a wonderfully melodic pattern. Compelling, if slightly scary.

Questions? I thought not.

Review by D

This isn’t out until the end of March, so have a minimal mix from Robert Hood for free download instead

Deep Concentration: The Grey Area mix

The Grey Area mix is a collection of cerebral minimalism from which is a speciality of Robert Hood. Never before has there been an illustration of the many values of “grey” within the genre we call Minimal. While Minimal is now a sound all on its own which varies from region to region, deep concentration takes you through the mind of one of it’s pioneers for a close analysis of this particular variation. The Grey Area.

~ by acidted on February 21, 2015.