Philippe Petit is welcomed to Figure SPC with this dextrous and inventive four-track EP. Ranging from the Euro-beat infusions of ‘Body’, with its menacing electronic palpitations, to the stuttering syncopations of ‘The Truth’, the bouncing, addictive tooly vibe of ‘Lost Again’, or finally the tracky, introspective chord-journey of ‘In Between’, its a varied and versatile EP from the hard working activist.
One of the true masters of modern minimalism, and one of the central artists on Figure SPC, Dutch artist Jeroen Search is back. Over three exciting and urgent new tracks Search hones in his skills in programming and arrangement to create yet more exciting and unique club tools. A refined and trippy journey into the cleaner, more funky end of the Techno spectrum, ‘Magnus’ works an airy, bleep-era riff atop snappy, tight drums and frenetic hat and ride elevations. Constantly lifting the energy, dropping it off with subtle tension, and bringing it back again, its a masterful example of the producer’s talents.Drifitng into more edgy zones, the darker and more sinister ‘Renaissance’ welcomes back Jeroen’s jacking house influences, as this groovy 90s-vibed jam takes off. A rough and totally out-there synth riff emerges from the forward pushing percussion to take centre stage, creating a moment of wild abandon!’Formalized’ completes the EP with a more abstract trip into dark dance. Classic techno bleeps and pizzicato synth patterns revolve and hypnotize in this reduced and frankly killer slice of paranoid genius.
Roberto Bosco is back for his third offering for Figure SPC, with a future-classic 4 track techno EP, intelligent and sensitive. Easing us into the thick of it, ‘Charming Noise’ takes humming, rumbling bass tones and a metallic clang as its themes. Slow burning and readily effective, its a brooding monster for the late hours. ‘I Just Can’t Breathe’ pushes the adrenalin up a few notches in a screaming, white noise attack on the senses. Bosco’s trademark heavy bass rumble and crisp percussion layers hold their own in this reduced killer. We’re then ready to embark on an emotional voyage as the masterful ‘See The Light’ emerges from the depths with its pushing acid bass and beautiful atmospheric melody. Classic strings and synths swirl and build in a tender and heartfelt piece of timeless techno. Closing the EP, ‘I Was Lonely’ takes the vibe into more reduced, after-hours zones with Roberto’s cool and low-slung take on the smoother sound of future-deep house.
Two of techno’s real heavyweights join forces in an extended, spaced out dub session in the next Figure SPC. Heiko Laux & Steve Rachmad presents “The Broken Cup”.
The considerably epic ‘We Are’ fuses classic elements of tweaking acid, bright jacking drums and an extended, open-ended arrangement that floats atop a choir of celestial rave angels…! Built for cavernous techno meccas, or up-close and personal basement sweat-boxes alike. In comparison the deep house tones of ‘I Feel The Sense’ retain the excellent production values that we’ve come to expect from this pair, and take a trip down a dubbed and shuffling melodious path.
The Hipodrome Of Music 