Articles
2011 Artists' Picks
Spotlight 5
Albums
1982
Marvin Ayres
Big Quarters
Birds Of Passage
Brunborg / Huke
bvdub
Charlatan
City of Satellites
Cokiyu
CYNE
Dakota Suite / Sirjacq
Tomoyoshi Date
Dday One
Vladislav Delay
Ensemble Economique
Esperanza
Frost & Bjarnason
Integral
Lullatone
Mario & Vidis
Dean McPhee
Mint Julep
Muhr
James Murray
Muta
Nicholas: Nu Groove
pacificUV
Papir
Andrew Pekler
Pimmon
Simon Scott
Quentin Sirjacq
Stormloop
Swod
szilárd
Tapage
Carl Taylor
Willamette
Boo Williams
Reissue
Pink Floyd
Compilations / Mixes
Marcel Dettmann
Fabriksampler V4
Inertia: Resisting Routine
Tech My House 5
Visionquest
EPs
0311
A Sun-Amissa
Jacksonville
Arev Konn
Neon Cloud
Phasen
Photonz
Rivers Home
Photonz:
Love Spectre EP
Don't Be Afraid
Having issued Photonz tracks since 2006 on labels such as Dissident and One Eyed Jacks, Portugal duo Marco Rodrigues and Miguel Evaristo now step up with a diverse four-tracker for Semtek's choice Don't Be Afraid label. It's forward-thinking music for sure and a natural complement to Semtek's own innovative style.
“Spectre” is the EP's instant head-turner, largely due to a metronomic xylophone hook that lodges itself firmly within memory after a single run-through (that the theme incessantly repeats might have something to do with it, too). The track's got a whole lot more going for it than a potent hook, however, with a mightily swinging house groove and rolling bass line two other things to admire. Aptly titled and powered by a clap-happy stomp, “Wall” builds brick by squelchy brick into a dazed colossus of fidgety acid techno, while the fiery “Dokos” blazes down darkened alleyways in updating old-school house moves associated with Chicago and Detroit (and even lets that pesky xylophone sneak in once more during a blink-and-you'll-miss-it breakdown). As mighty as its title implies, “Prometheus” rolls out a whiplash techno pulse that's as wired-up and rabid as a mixing desk in the throes of a seizure. All four tracks capture different sides of the Photonz trippy sound, and consequently emphasize the range of the outfit's command.
January 2012