- Objekt has come a long way since the double-proof dubstep of his first white label release. But even as he's become recognised for his ability to make jaws drop (see "Cactus" or "Unglued"), TJ Hertz has been proving he can do heads-down techno rollers too ("CLK Recovery"). It's to this strand of his output that "Shuttered" belongs. This is possibly the most subdued thing Hertz has released, a measured electro number whose clipped, tightly controlled drums ride over windswept atmospherics. At first it's not all that compelling, but before long you're gripped, as his fiendish attention to detail and virtuosic sense of pacing gives the thing a masterful sense of forward motion.
Cosmin TRG is, comparatively, an old stager, but his tale—a migration from dubstep into techno—is similar. His best productions have been lessons in light-footed grooves, every element carefully sculpted and weighed against the whole. "Auster" sees him at his aggiest, the usual pearlescent melodies replaced with parched textures and bleeping metallic tones. Again, a slightly meandering first half is revealed, thankfully, to be part of the structural master-plan in the second. While neither of these productions are mind-blowing, they're highly satisfying statements from two of the safest pairs of hands in the business.
Tracklist A Objekt - Shuttered
B Cosmin TRG - Auster