OHM Vinyl & CDs

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.

Review: Ohm and Octal Industries debuted on this label to great acclaim back in 2022 and now they're back on Lempuyang with Northwest Passage, a first album-length collaboration. This double 12" continues with their themes of failed arctic explorations and mythological creatures and, after 12 previous outings together, might be their best work yet: the sounds are mature and powerful, bleak yet deep. Dubbed-out chords roll to infinite horizons, frozen tundras are detailed with wispy melodies and pulsing, supple techno both soothes the soul and gets the head nodding. This is more stylish, subversive and superbly executed electronic music.

Review: Ohm and Kvadrant continue to offer their services in the dub techno vein; clearly, this isn't their first Kontakt. 'Treasure Of Kings Garden' reflects a single fantasy: the muted pleasure of discovering a forbidden gem buried at the bottom of his royal majesty's grounds. We imagine Ohm and Kvadrant's king to be a tyrant; necessarily, in fact, his sadism is the exact measure against which this diamond's value can be measured. The three mixes of the sole track 'Precious Little Diamond' unfurl like different stages of bejewelled delight and respite, from the initial 4x4 discovery to Deadbeat's halfstep black market laundering, and followed shortly by Levon Vincent's impressively textural evocation of cathartic relief, on receipt of such requisitioned-then-resold royal riches.

Review: Ohm and Kvadrant return to their spiritual home of Kontakt with more of that grandiose dub techno immersion they do so well, plumbing epic depths both within and beyond the functional demands of the dancefloor. 'Precious Little Diamond' kicks the record off in a steady-cruising form, guided by a smooth minimal tech house beat as the engine for some choice dub techno chords and mechanical hiccups. Deadbeat then takes the helm for a version which plunges into abstract echo chamber sonics he's spent decades perfecting before Levon Vincent completes the picture with a remix which heads into the outer limits of deep techno immersion.

Review: Copenhagen-based Icelander Ohm and Berlin-based Philipp Priebe mine the warmest depths of dub techno here across three stumble originals. 'Flickering Lights' is silky and muted, with smooth drums and claps gliding over a cavernous groove that is subtly lit with sustained chords. The Anton Kubikov remix is more lithe and electronic, with reflective synths and nimble leads making for a minimalistic workout. There is then a shadowy but dynamic dub vibe to 'Sacred Night' before 'Roaming' rives this EP home with a mix of deft sound designs and pillow dub drums. It's brilliantly introspective.