Octal Industries

Review: Back in December 2019, Jonas Thor Gudmundsson released his first album as Octal Industries in almost six years, a perfectly pitched set of hypnotic dub techno/deep techno fusions entitled Our Seasons. Here he offers up a double pack featuring a swathe of new interpretations of some of the album's most inspired moments. Perhaps the most instantly arresting remix comes from ASC, who brilliantly re-imagines 'Roblegt' as an immersive, 13-minute journey that's equal parts club-ready breakbeat electronica and sofa-bound ambient haziness. Former long-term studio partner Mike Schommer's gentle and warming, beat-down style version of 'Borg Telkin' is equally brilliant, while the contrasting GRIT and Ohm interpretations of 'Another Day' both hit the mark and then some.

Review: Riding high on the renewed energy within the Icelandic techno scene, Ohm and Octal Industries make their first appearance on Solid Groove with some truly spellbinding exercises in patience, restraint and soul-stirring composition. "Bardo" is a truly haunting piece with the most delicately balanced rhythms and stunning deployment of piano and what sounds like clarinet. "Under Influence" is a more snarling affair, but the same sense of control grips the track as it ploughs its furrow. "Rider" is a looser affair that piles a lot more detail into the frequency range, with some particularly delightful lead warbles and other high frequency matter to delight the mind. "Flow Machine" strikes a note somewhere in the middle, keeping things moody but open compared to the foggy A side.