Label
BKSP001/BKSP003/BKSP005
- Essential early '90s ambient techno from Marco Repetto dug up for the rest of the world to enjoy.
- If you're a certain kind of electronic music nerd, you might already know who Marco Repetto is. He put out a few records on Aphex Twin's Rephlex label as part of the duo Synectics in the early '90s, as well as a number of albums as Bigeneric, a project that's been the subject of some recent reissues. Planet Love is another of his best-known aliases, with a discography that goes back to 1991. Under this name, Repetto made music that fit the electronica milieu of the time: a blend of ambient, techno and what would become known as IDM, with plenty of chattering voices and beautiful, relaxed synth playing. A Dutch label called return_backspace, started to highlight '90s dance music, so far exists solely to share unreleased material from the Planet Love archives.
These three EPs, which have been coming out since 2021, make up a trilogy that started as simple correspondence between return_backspace and Repetto. Eventually Repetto invited the label to his house in Bern, Switzerland and go through his archives, even allowing the tapes to go back to The Hague, where the label went through them painstakingly—over 1,000 tracks and 146 hours of music. The original plan was to release three five-track EPs, but the sound wasn't good enough, so return_backspace opted for three-track EPs instead. Talk about quality control.
The function of this three-pronged release is not to wow you with sounds you've never heard. This kind of music will be familiar to any early '90s electronic music fan, regardless of their knowledge of Repetto. Instead, the package is meant to drive home what a remarkable producer and composer he is. The collection begins with New Era's title track, which sounds a bit like early Biosphere, all tremulous chords and radar system bleeps, plus an ominous choral pad. It's remarkably crisp and textured for an early '90s release, qualities that raise it above the usual pablum from the era. Once a deep voice says, "This is only a dream," it's hard not to get suckered into Repetto's elegant soundscape.
It's not all free-floating fluffy clouds. "Flowers" touches on Detroit techno with its funky basslines and snare rolls, but it's still got a whiff of the stately thanks to whirring organ in the background. "The Blue Dream" is like 808 State on Metroplex, with chattering voices, bleepy melodies and a bassline that basically sounds like it's doing The Worm. "Adamha" touches on kooky acid, while "Creator's Planet" could be a dream house remix of John Carpenter—the melodies are big and the drama is notched up to 11. You name a classic dance music style and Repetto has probably mastered it at some point.
D.O.C. is the third and most recent EP, so it's worth a little extra spotlight. Repetto swings for Sheffield bleep with "The Last Realm Of Magic," while the title track is probably the closest thing to a club anthem thanks to its bold splash of piano. "Technicolor Dream" is a big party tune with huge, almost silly drum sounds and orchestral hits. Maybe Young Marco would play it. But this one also hints at the extremes of sound Repetto was able to get out of his equipment back then: the bassline could duel with any Sweet Exorcist track, a blotting-out-the-sun bass sound that feels, frankly, unreal. Put that between elegiac, introspective passages of soul-searching synth and you've got a one-of-a-kind banger. You may have heard music that sounds like this before, but hardly any of it is done with this level of finesse and exactitude.
TracklistNew Era
01. New Era
02. Flowers
03. Bird Song
Adamha
01. Creator's Planet
02. Adamha
03. The Blue Dream
D.O.C.
01. D.O.C.
02. Technicolor Dream
03. The Last Realm Of Magic