- As we heard as recently as last month, Token isn't afraid to show its sentimental side. It's heard throughout the techno label's catalogue, which, through records from the likes of Ctrls, Rødhåd and Inigo Kennedy, regularly swaps peak-time intensity for something more tranquil. But for those—and there are plenty—after Token's trademark chiselled techno, an EP of bangers is never far away. The latest comes from Neel, the Italian producer best known for his partnership with Donato Dozzy in Voices From The Lake. On Calcata, which seems to take its name from a town in central Italy, he delivers three tunnelling trips, plus an ambient sketch, that put Token back in the hour of strobe lights and sweat.
True to the Italian school of deep techno, Neel's tracks are about as loopy as Token gets. Without building up or down, "Re. Vox" is an evil loop with plenty of moving parts. The bassline is jangly and faintly melodic, clanging underneath hisses and occasional white noise. "Bassiani" and "Treja" are polished bleep techno tunes, burrowing into your brain with bubbling synths and blunt percussion. These are high-end tracks, but with Neel and Token in control they were never going to be anything else.
TracklistA1 Calcata
A2 Re. Vox
B1 Bassiani
B2 Treja