Nthng

Review: The shady house artist who goes by the name of Nthng has already released a pair of bruisers on Lobster Theremin's off-shoot, Mork, two EP's that were successful in solidifying his sound as one of grit, power and industrial charisma. He's now up on Pacific Command for the label's second outing, and it has to be said that "Are You Here" is nothing short of spectacular, a tune that takes techno around the bend thanks to some high-powered breakbeats and icy melodies; it reminds us of Skee Mask's output for Ilian Tape, that sort of flex. On the flipside, "In The Afterglow" is straighter and colder in its approach, but Nthng still manages to get that sense of space and freedom through in his arrangement. A pair of quality cuts, that's for sure.

Review: With acclaimed releases on Mork, Lobster Theremin, Delsin and Pacific Command already under his belt, nthng is on the fast track to top-tier success. Much of the producer's reputation has been built on adaptability, with previous releases mixing and matching various strains of techno, electro and lo-fi house. His second appearance on Transatlantic brings with it another stylistic shift. Seemingly born out of early morning studio sessions and late night drifts into daydreaming, the four tracks that make up "Shine" brilliantly fuse elements of Pete Namlook style deep space ambient (see "Shine"), gradually unfurling, Global Communication style soundscapes ("Atom") and unfeasibly deep, out-there ambient techno ("Embryo", "Lyla").

Review: NTHNG's debut album "It Never Ends" impressed on its 2017 release, with both buyers and critics warming to the former Mork and Delsin producer's personal blend of ambient, deep techno and dub techno sounds. Eight-track follow-up "Hypnotherapy" is, if anything, even better. It explores relatively similar sonic pastures, with even more up-tempo and dancefloor-focused tracks (for example the trance-inducing throb of "Heitt", the spoken word-sporting deep hypnotism of "I Just Am", fizzing "Wave Return" and the glassy-eyed "Spirit Of Ecstasy") coming cloaked in rich, ear-pleasing chords and languid melodies. The album's downtempo and ambient excursions are superb, too, especially Pete Namlook-esque closing cut "With You" and the slowly shifting "Beautiful Love".