Review: The ever-busy Rod Modell has a new album due on Soma later this month. Ahead of that set - his fourth for Slam's long-running label - he's decided to put out this taster 12". Curiously, though Atmospherica Volume 1 doesn't contain any tracks from that album, instead serving up three new treats. 12-minute A-side "Fargo" is undoubtedly the star attraction, offering a chunkier-than-usual take on his weed-enhanced dub techno grooves, paranoid textures and loopy electronics. "CMOS Therapy" is even more up-tempo in feel, with urgent rhythms, surging motifs and notably fizzing cymbals. Finally, "Night Song" sees Modell trek deep into the jungle for inspiration, returning with a muddy chunk of dub techno humidity.
Review: One of the best compliments you can pay a minimal techno producer is that they have an ability to make a lot with few elements. While Deepchord's layered, textured sound could be described as maximal techno, on this release for Soma, its simplicity is its strength. In reality, not much happens over the course of the ten-minute plus "Luxury 1", yet its dubby beats, sub-aquatic chords and occasional diversions into dreamy reveries is over before the listener realises it. "Luxury 2" is more dance floor-friendly, but despite this, the break beats are gentle and unassuming and the melodies subtle yet insidious. It makes for a straightforward but seductive combination.
Review: Few producers do the dub techno sound better than Rod Modell and on this second Atmospherica instalment, he shows why he is so revered. "Exploring The North" is dense and subdued, the hisses and crackles ebbing and flowing fluidly over a powerful sub-bass. "Pinewood Lodge" is more atmospheric and floaty, its chords flitting about like fireflies over a camp fire on the first night of autumn. Rounding out the release is "Shot Point". Immersive, hypnotic and ghostly, it washes through the speakers like waves crashing on a deserted beach at midnight. This is electronic music that is designed to get lost in.
Review: Functional Designs is the newest album from Detroit-based Deepchord, who has long been a mainstay of Scottish techno label Soma. It is full of late-night sounds and the artist's signature designs and is a fine return to the label after five years since his last album. Each track pays out like a nighttime walk through his urban local with field recordings, holographic synth tones, cosmic sounds and the hiss of electric wires all colouring the grooves. This rich, lush techno with an electroacoustic aesthetic that makes it glisten a bit brighter. Add in heavy bass and beats and you have a modern classic.
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