- It's good to have Nuel back. After the challenging experimental electronics of 2016's Hyperboreal LP, his first solo record since 2011, the Italian producer returned to deep techno. Recent months have given us a one-two punch of nuanced, wide-ranging EPs: first, Tecnica for Semantica, and now the Replica white label for Kontra-Musik.
"Ballet" is a nocturnal soundscape that's drum-free but propulsive, thanks to its polyrhythmic mixture of ascending synth spirals and restless dubbed-out ambience—textures that we've been hearing more often in Nuel's output since Hyperboreal. "No Wonder" and "The Swan Song" are straightforward cuts of shimmering atmospheric techno. The former weaves acidic curls into a rustling 4/4 thump, while the latter, with its fleet-footed bounce and vibrant pads, feels weightless. "Replica" finds Nuel in heads-down mode—it's the record's only DJ tool—before the zoned-out ambient synth sketch "Surrender" ends the release.
TracklistA1 Ballet
A2 No Wonder
A3 The Swan Song
B1 Replica
B2 Surrender