Cicuta’s latest keep the dark techno beats going and going and going
And for this release it Bran Lanen‘s turn to keep you going till the early morning.
These tracks will fill-up your DJ set nicely with some extra gloom. Some of these beats might be a bit repetitive, but, given the right moment in the mix do exactly want you want them to. I like how Cicuta is trying to bring back the original techno sound and if you’ve liked the previous Cicuta releases, this one won’t disappoint. Download and enjoy! (Link below.)
A sonic journey. The crisp fresh air of a cold winter day. But also the warm sensation of a careless spring holiday. Many different, guitar inspired/sampled tracks float by like clouds in a blue & pink sky. Everything is possible.
Not all tracks on this album are about “dance” as my Minimal-Techno tag would have you believe. ‘Only this’, for example, gives us some air and does so for a very long time. It’s a massive progressive track spanning almost fourteen minutes. (Spoiler; It does have some venom in it’s tail.) The tempo is tuned down even further in the following track. Giving time to wonder what more this album has in store, with ‘The Jaws Of Life’ delivering the payload.
All in all it’s a beautiful progressive tech inspired album. And it reminds me of ‘The Field’, which I have fond memories of. Great job, Nick!
I Just Called To Say I Loathe You is a analog track produced using the Roland TR-606, the X0Xbox through a Carl Martin Opto-compressor and digital synths; Roland MC-303, TR-505 and the Kawai K1m. Recorded and mixed with Ableton Live. Mastering by ‘Beel’.
On the B-side is Yuri Suzuki‘s live-set: Live at Gorky Bar Vilnius Lithuania 25th November 2011.
A varied release, to say the least. Many different well known techno artists from Japan’s techno-scene, featuring DJ Tmykisb, Yebisu303, Doremimate and 909 State to name just a few. Ranging from acid bleepery to danceable and deep to surprising. The release demonstrates a love for the original techno sound lost in the days of minimal unimaginativism and dubstep repetition.
DJ Tmykisb opens the album with the filter-happy ‘Chrono Kitten’, an uplifting track that makes the waist wiggle. Even if seated it’s hard not to move to this sliced madness slightly reminiscent of ‘Tokyo Disco’. 909 State gives a distorted slammer likes he does so well, after which Beel’s ‘RTF_SHT’ takes over with a surprisingly deep track not unlike Richie Hawtin’s better (Plastikman) tracks. The compilation wouldn’t be complete without a good acid track! And that’s where Pulse2Pulse comes in. I should say the same for dub, and the compilation also satisfies those needs with Yebisu303′s ‘Blueprint’, a last-minute favorite of mine. In the track’s layered background there’s a loop playing which stimulates the imagination while the recognizable dub synth does it’s work of playing with your sense of rhythm. (Watch out for a very groovy break followed by a drop like we haven’t heard since at least 2005.) Yes, there’s even a melodic techno track like Carl Craig is good at producing, Choochoogatagoto is the one responsible.
The CD supplies well to the techno loving people out there that are missing the original vibe. We need kickdrums, not plops. We want acid, not just a simple sine-wave. Minimal and tech-house have their place, on this album too. But playing the same sounds over and over is what kills a genre, a scene. This album bravely steps-up where even the hardest techno DJ’s have sold-out to simple bloops and over-used samples. It’s been enough!
A CD release is rare these days, especially for electronic music (Techno). But it does give a sense of nostalgia to open-up a sealed CD box. Welcome to the post-digital age where physical releases are becoming a rarity and more of a promotional tool than an actual selling point. That’s why I appreciate Cassette Records effort to put this out there, no matter what the market is doing. To step-up and say, nay shout: Techno isn’t dead yet! I haven’t even finished listening to the CD yet, and this is what the music is telling me. The CD holds even more surprises towards the end, but I’m not gonna spoil anymore for you. You should go out and check this out for yourself.
Track List
dj tmykisb / Chrono Kitten
POP STORE JUNK / ZTN
iserobin / 7420247
Limited toss / Gus
909state / Armed poker
BEEL / RTM_SHT
Pulse2Pulse / Bouncer
Yebisu303 / Blueprint
jackmaster YOSHIKI / PTOLEMAIC SYSTEM
choochoogatagoto / Hat Season
doremimate / Gymnopedia
Sakoo / Heartbeat
tofubeats / technoizer X
SOL / One More Thing…
The album’s liner notes were written by Bibinba. I’m proud of you, 友達!
![Bran Lanen – Sign Of The Progress EP [CICUTA 006]](http://cicutanetlabel.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/00_cicuta006_front.jpg?w=250&h=250 "Bran Lanen – Sign Of The Progress EP [CICUTA 006]")
All About Music, Review | JordyVision | 
18/02/2012 18:29 | 
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