- Few Mysteries Solved in a Year of Contact is new territory for Vlek, a Belgian label whose stock in trade has been, in a manner of speaking, all over the shop. Vlek's colourful catalogue is anchored in sample-based, brain-twisting hip-hop, though the lustrous electronic textures of a number of releases, in particular from the likes of Cupp Cave, have always promised broader horizons.
Sagat's debut Vlek 12-inch is the label's first foray into techno, and it's a fairly competent effort. "Few Mysteries…" and "Speaking of Which" owe a debt to the slow-burn pulse of Mark Ernestus; the industrial static of the latter, in particular, is a serviceable Basic Channel impression.
"Spelt Backwards" is altogether less coy about its dance floor credentials, but it too rides a rather reserved groove, pacified by a synth that squirms and squelches over an otherwise insistent bassline. It's left to "ESC" to assume the responsibility of peak time banger by way of its cavernous, Grand Canyon-sized kicks, though—funnily enough—the skeletal xylophone riff tempers that aspiration as well. Yes, it may be one of the most straightforward releases Vlek have put out, but it's also one of their most enjoyable to date.
Tracklist A1 Few Mysteries Solved In A Year Of Contact
A2 Esc
B1 Speaking Of Which
B2 Spelt Backwards