- Punishing techno with the intensity of a '90s banger.
- Playing back-to-back with Ben Klock at this year's Sónar Barcelona, DJ Nobu pulled off one of the slickest transitions you're likely to hear at a festival. Mixing Regis's "Purification" with "All This Was Fire," the title track on the latest EP from Héctor Oaks, Nobu lit up the several-thousand strong crowd, the energy exploding as the vocals from both tracks synced. Regis's tune was from 1999. Héctor Oaks's only came out a few months ago, but it carries all the energy of a peak-time '90s bomb. The low-end churns as the mangled vocals come and go, all while the percussion hammers and zaps in random spurts. The mood is intense but the groove is strong, which is about all you need for a classy techno weapon.
"When Every Old Picture" is even more direct, its precision snare cutting through the mix on the offbeat. The bleepy "Superconductor" hits a more psychedelic zone, adding a deeper side to this driving EP. All This Was Fire is a record for any DJ hoping to add some raw charm to their sets. As Nobu and Ben Klock's set showed, the results can leave a massive dance floor reeling.
TracklistA1 All This Was Fire
B1 When Every Old Picture
B2 Superconductor