Thomas P Heckmann

Review: Following up appearances by veterans such as Josh Wink, Hardfloor and Acid Rain (Milton Bradley), Dame Music takes no prisoners on the third installment of The Melting Pot, delivering another series of unrepentant 303 ultraviolence. Label chief Bloody Mary steps up to deliver the punishing and disorienting psychedelia of "Acetic" awash in gliding resonance from that little silver box plus clattering 909 mayhem. Splice then lunges straight for the jugular on "Tactile", a frantic session where the abrasive overdrive of the kick will have you begging for mercy. Finally, the legend Thomas P. Heckmann returns since his appearance on the series' first episode - he delivers the seething restrained fury of "The Space Between".

Review: One below-the-line commentator on Discogs recently described Thomas P Heckmann as a "relentless producer". Given the number of EPs he's put out over the course of his 24-year career, it's an apt description. Fittingly, the four tracks here tend towards the "relentless", too, with Heckmann focusing the action around throbbing, strobe-ready rhythms, razor-sharp EBM synthesizer riffs, twisted acid lines and mind-altering electronics. These are proper club tracks for sweaty basements and smoky, dimly lit warehouses, with thunderous opener "Himmel and Hoelle" and the wild, psychedelic closer "Dunkel" being our highlights. That said, the more obviously EBM influenced "Violent Stains" is also top notch.