Spanish label Semantica have been exploring the shadowy nether zones of techno for five years now, and this 12″ sees them reach number five of their 5 Years Compilation, featuring original contributions from some of the most important names in techno. The 12″ opens with “Public Beheading”, a collaboration between Karl O’Connor (aka Regis), Peter Sutton (aka Female) and Richard Harvey; as the name suggests, its ominous tones and cinematic atmospherics paint a grim picture. The bleak tone is carried through on AW/SS’s “Nonnative”, where a solitary kick breaks the through vinyl crackle, with only wintry drones for company. The B-Side meanwhile features Ostgut Ton’s finest, Marcel Dettmann, remixing Svereca’s “Obscur”. In keeping with the tone of the EP, the beats are shuffling and suggestive rather than heaving slabs of concrete, with particular attention paid to the creaking reverb hanging over the modulating sub bass. The record finishes with Yuji Kondo, Katsunori Sawa and Steven Porter’s “Moonlight Graham”, a shadowy warehouse jam whose myriad textures bubble beneath its rough surface. In short, four reasons why Semantica is one of the most interesting techno labels in the world.

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