- In the last few years there has been a proliferation in the amount of people producing really good techno, acid, minimal and everything in between. The majority of these producers are new, but Robert Babicz (aka Rob Acid) is an example of an older producer that has managed to stay relevant by reinventing his sound (to some extent). Many of his new tracks have that trademark acid sound, but what we are listening to is most definitely acid for the 21st century. This man is not stuck in the 1990s, him and his machinedrum are moving with the times. The last year or two have seen a series of quality releases for Babicz on labels like Punkt, Treibstoff and K2, making him a producer to keep an eye on. Unfortunately, however, Babicz’s latest release on Audiomatique does not live up to some of his other recent outings.
The title track, "Prism", is a jam that seems much better suited to his ‘Rob Acid’ guise. Driving the track is a distinctly average acid riff, which never really develops sufficiently to get the listener excited. The acid is garnished by some rather misplaced vocal samples, effects and a pointless melody that chimes in now and again. "Prism" seems to suffer from not getting the time, love and care it deserved.
"Rock" again confirms the suspicion that Babicz didn't spend long enough behind the mixing desk. While a considerable improvement on the title track, this track also seems underdeveloped. It has some good elements – the constant rumbling bass is rather nice and the accompanying distorted loop gives it potential. The problem is that the track never really goes anywhere. It feels more like the first draft, rather than the final thing.
The B side – a remix of ‘Prism’ from Robag Wruhme – does not add the value to this release one might have hoped. It is a solid affair, and while intriguing, doesn’t really grab you. The main problem is that Robag has been too faithful to the original, choosing to stick with the acid and vocals. And with such source material, he was always going to have trouble coming up with a really good mix. The track does have a number of familiar Wighnomy trademarks, but the charm of the Brothers' remix machine has started to fade, and it is not enough to save Babicz.
This release is somewhat disappointing considering what we know Babicz and Robag are capable of. Hopefully this is an aberration, rather than a sign of things to come.