- Dino Sabatini's overlooked Omonimo was an odd duck, and one of his most distinctive releases because of it. The record draped Italian techno moods—dark, droning, hypnotic—over a broken beat framework inspired by trip-hop. It was an often successful experiment that pulled on all sorts of dance music threads. Landing a remix from '90s luminary Howie B, Sabatini's follow-up remix EP, Concentrica, is even more unexpected—and also more uneven.
The Howie B remix of "Sometimes Back" is this record's highlight. Bernstein splits the original wide open and strings up chord patterns like dimly lit lanterns, as fragments of Sabatini's signature drones thicken the bottom-end every once in awhile. It's a fantastic remix that understands the original's mission while meaningfully expanding on it. ASC's remix of "The Unexpected" is less subtle. As monolithic a piece of techno as he's ever done, it's typically immersive and detailed, ironically sounding more like Sabatini's usual style than anything on Omonimo. But it also feels somewhat commonplace next to Howie B's contribution, more geared for the straight-up techno DJs.
Concentrica's other two tracks find Sabatini taking on Omonimo himself, pulling the EP even further from the dance floor. Both of them are collaborations with pianist Antonello Salis. "And It All Ends Here" is pretty but inconsequential, while the healing spa vibes of "If" are a top-down reimagining of the original. The focus moves away from piano into new age elements like mallets and chimes, which adopt Sabatini's original melody nicely enough. A four-track EP is rarely this bumpy of a ride, but the journey takes Sabatini to some ambitious new places.
TracklistA1 Sometimes Back (Howie B Touch)
A2 If feat. Antonello Salis (Dino Sabatini Variation)
B1 The Unexpected (ASC Grey Area Remix)
B2 And It All Ends Here (Salis & Sabatini Variation)