- Limit is an industrial techno record made by two artists from outside of techno's hermetic bubble. Experiments of this kind tend to have one of two results: either prying the genre open with fresh ideas untainted by orthodoxy or missing the mark because the artists aren't actually acquainted with their subject. This seven-track EP—a collaboration between Night Slugs' L-Vis 1990 and Halocline Trance boss Egyptrixx—is thankfully a case of the former.
That's probably because these two have dabbled in techno before. Egyptrixx's 2013 single "Water (Reduced)" was built from angular drums, big room ambience and a loopy acid bassline. At the same time, L-Vis 1990 has been stripping his sound down to muscular drum machine workouts for his recent Dance System records.
Limit's opening track lays down the rules of engagement: there are no melodic elements and barely any swing or syncopation. It's just rigid, sexless rhythms banging away like hammers on an anvil. The other rhythmic tracks stick to the same palate, always with an ineffable eccentricity reminding you this is hard techno seen through a bass music filter. "Limit #02," with its high-tempo blast of 16th-note clicks, could crack heads in a number of contexts, whether in one of Mumdance's industrial grime sets or in a UK techno assault from Perc.
The EP's three ambient pieces make a surprising amount of sense. Like the beat-oriented tracks, "Limit #03" uses loops to an almost nauseating effect, with iridescent arpeggios spinning circles around deep synth swells. The other two sound more specifically like Egyptrixx, whose solo material often hinges on unusual sound design. But there's a certain textural continuity that draws together Limit's cybernetic rave tracks and strange atmospheres. It makes for a bold next step for both producers, who seem to have settled naturally into their new sound.
Tracklist01. Limit #01
02. Limit #02
03. Limit #03
04. Limit #04
05. Limit #05
06. Limit #06
07. Limit #07