- Retro techno done right.
- Greek producer ANNĒ is one of the most visible names in the ongoing hardgroove revival, but she's also a lot more than that. Her latest EP for Nastia's NECHTO label is full of the '90s-referencing techno you might expect, with some welcome new wrinkles. Compare the bookends: opener "Eucalyptus" is pitch-perfect second wave Detroit worship, gradually building steam with some excellent hi-hat work and just a whiff of a catchy melody. The bassline really seals it, a wiggling, writhing thing that sounds like a walking bassline from some disco tune got crumpled up in the washing machine. The closer "Radiance," on the other hand, leans contemporary techno, with a beefy kick drum whose blanketing low frequencies are broken up by the rippling, percussive melodies. Fast, heavy drums contrasted by bright bursts of synth is the theme on NECH023. It's a wonderful balancing act of old and new that represents the best of today's young producers who are zeroing in on a bygone era of techno.
The two cuts in the middle are the brightest. "Field Of Flowers" lives up to its resplendent title with perky chords and a heavenly, almost Cocteau Twins-like vocal, like if Elizabeth Fraser was recast as a house diva. "Sunkissed" might be the best track on the EP, perhaps even ANNĒ's best yet. There's an ascending melody, the pumping, but not brutalising kick drums, the barest hint of a vocal sample. It's the '90s reimagined for 2024 with skill, but most importantly, personality. Dark and functional with light always around the corner, ANNĒ knows how to temper techno's extremes.