- Self Reflektion plucks four mean, rattly hardware tracks from Hokkaido-based Hiroaki Iizuka for his latest record, which don't come around all that often. Last year he inaugurated new London label THEM, before that was Blue Box for Exium's hard-edged Nheoma label in 2012, and you can keep working back into his minimal phase. You could say Iizuka has grown a little cantankerous with age, or at least that's how it sounds toward the end of Primitive Spirit—the B-side here packs the biggest punch.
The big swinging strides and subtle syncopations of "Primitive Spirit" make it an instant standout. There's some nice dub reverb and other little FX in there that add to the track's hands-on feel, like it was recorded straight from a live jam. Then there's "Drum Unit," which could be a cheeky tip of the hat to Rotterdam's harder hitting heritage. The long looped drum intro—which pounds away unhindered for nearly 30 seconds—has the makings of a hardcore onslaught, retaining that audacious Dutch presence even when it breaks. More breakdowns and even a mid-way acceleration make it all feel wild and unpredictable, so if unbridled techno is your thing, it doesn't get more deliriously rampant than this.
TracklistA1 Opto
A2 Vertik
B1 Primitive Spirit
B2 Drum Unit