- Techno for when it's time to get unhinged.
- Exos's Planet X has made a pleasingly deranged start to life in the techno galaxy. I mean, placing a track like Exos's "Ingo" on the A1 of the label's first release showed immediately it wasn't pissing about. The track's colossal breakdown and frazzled, discordant synth line was matched in strangeness and intensity by "Bingo," the B-side track, and then matched again by the compilation EP Invisible Limits II, which among its various technoid oddities featured Q-Cumb's "Dreamers 232342," a track of such scale and brazenness it should have united both the Berghain and business techno crowds. Matrixxman, the alias of American producer Charlie Duff, appeared on the comp with an acid wriggler called "Flexxin On Hoes," and now steps up for a full EP.
Given Planet X's bold form so far, the strength of Duff's recent collaborative EP with Physical Therapy on Nonplus, and the wildness of his contribution to the Invisible Limits II compilation, I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed by the Planet X EP, at least in terms of the A-side. Both the "Day" and "Night" versions of "Hong Kong" are based on rock-solid grooves that, despite the use of unsettling atmospherics, never make a captivating move. The B-side, however, feels much closer in spirit to what Planet X has built so far. "Power Drain," which features Exos, and "Tango Down" use the sort of OTT synth parts that cause mass dance floor screwfaces. I can imagine "Power Drain" in particular representing the moment in the night where events begin to feel particularly unhinged.
TracklistA1 Hong Kong (Day)
A2 Hong Kong (Night)
B1 Power Drain feat. Exos
B2 Tango Down