- 30 years of Finnish techno later and Kimmo Rapatti still sounds as vital as ever.
- Mono Junk's stone cold classic "Channel B" is the centrepiece of what might be the greatest mix of all time, Cassy's Panorama Bar 01. There, amidst a bunch of era-defining minimal, sits a lopsided and strange dub techno track that could have come from 2005 or 2025 (it was actually released in 1995). "Channel B" is the kind of tune you can build a whole career on, perhaps the definitive Finnish techno track this side of Mika Vainio. It set up Mono Junk, real name Kimmo Rapatti, as one of the most important techno producers to emerge from the Nordics. He's never stopped making good stuff, but ÏATI, something of a celebration of his 30th anniversary of releasing music, offers a good chance to take stock and appreciate one of those artists who has always seemed like one for the heads. And he sounds better than ever on it.
Rapatti's music has always been curiously timeless, though ÏATI feels purposefully retro. It hearkens back to a time when techno rubbed elbows with EBM, synth pop and electro in a much different way than it does now. The title track, with its burbling synths and detached vocals, sounds a little like Legowelt. Fully DIY and with hints of post-punk, it has an analogue grit missing from modern techno. The same goes for the thrilling "I Am Yours (You're Mine)," clammy, pulsating proto-techno with an eye cast towards new wave. Plenty of people do throwback techno these days, but few can capture the blood, sweat and tears that actually went into it like Rapatti does here—and make it catchy.
ÏATI dips into funky electro with "Jam Band" (think evil Drexciya) and "See Y"'s kitschy B movie vibes. These tracks are well done, but the techno-not-techno cuts are the real attraction here. "Love Divine" might be the best of the bunch, designed to be the clear standout in any techno set it's played in. It's romantic and anxious, anthemic but not happy: Northern European synth pop, wave, punk at its best, laid down with crunchy techno kick drums.
Tracklist01. IÄTI
02. Love Divine
03. See Y
04. I Am Yours (You're Mine)
05. Jam Band