PRIMAL CODE Vinyl & CDs

Review: If deep, atmospheric and off-kilter techno is your thing, we'd recommend checking out this Kalahari Oyster Cult outing from Hypnus Records' regulars Primal Code. The Italy-based duo's work has long been hard to pigeonhole and the four tracks on show here typically blur the boundaries between sounds and styles. Opener 'AI Calculator', for example, peppers a minimalistic, sub-heavy polyrhythmic techno groove with turn-of-the-90s bleeps and creepy aural textures, while 'Autopilot' adds subtly evolving TB-303 acid lines and psychedelic electronics to a sparse, stripped-back rhythm track. The pair cannily combines elements of Villalobos style minimalism with IDM and "brain-dance" on 'Mainframe', while Priori's rework of 'AI Calculator' is foreboding, hypnotic and intoxicating in equal measure.

Review: Primal Code brought plenty of fresh ideas and new perspectives to their debut album "La Via Della Seta" last year, and continue to do so on this fascinating new 12" for Sweden's Hypnus Records. They have a tribal take on techno that draws on indigenous cultures and instrumentation to make for darkly hypnotic tracks that echo the experimental work of the likes of Donato Dozzy, Neel and even Shackleton. It's mesmerising and cerebral stuff with psychedelic overtones and plenty of intriguing sounds, effects in the swirling ambient pads and deft little hooks that litter the rubbery, drawn out grooves.