- Cassegrain might be associated with the kind of dark, droning techno pioneered by Prologue, but Alex Tsiridis and Hüseyin Evirgren don't really play it safe or ever stay in one place. Adept at balancing the experimental with the functional, their discography touches on all sorts of techno, including on their excursions as Arcing Seas. Originally an anonymous project, Arcing Seas put out two solid records for Our Circula Sound. But Cassegrain, seeing no point in segregating their already diverse catalogue, have since folded their other alias and started an Arcing Seas label.
The first release on Arcing Seas is diverse as ever, a handy showcase for Tsiridis and Evirgren's unique grasp of techno dynamics. Take "Cruel Intentions": it has a hard, lunging kick pattern, and there's a world of detail in the background. Sighing synths and lolling melodies give the track a thick flow that almost feels comforting. The other two turn to darker corners. "Skull Gun," a stark and spacious landscape loaded with spidery bass notes and springy organic textures, cribs from the pages of Peter Van Hoesen. But closer "Trappist" really does the trick, with rickety bass notes sputtering like a ball on a roulette table. The kick pattern is steady and powerful, but the melody's constant tempo change lends the music a hallucinatory edge without making it unplayable. If there's anything that sums up Cassegrain's allure, that's it.
TracklistA1 Cruel Intentions
A2 Skull Gun
B1 Trappist