- Marc Romboy has helmed the Systematic imprint since 2004 and Stephan Bodzin is the silent partner and production whiz behind the Rekorder series with Oliver Huntermann (ssh! it's supposed to be anonymous!), Elektrochemie with Thomas Schumacher on top German label Get Physical, as well as Romboy's recent full length 'Gemini'. This is the busiest man in electrohouse.
The German strain of electrohouse seems to be taking some dark twists in 2006. Ghostly flotation techniques from minimal techno have been borrowed to buoy up half-remembered trance arpeggios, now suddenly evocative again. Following on from Thomas Schumacher's instant classic 'Redpurple', these two very deep cuts are essentially thinking persons' electrohouse with a distinct emotional content.
'Ferdinand' is a deep track built around a simple modulating bass and a soft bell loop that sounds like air slowly escaping from an NASA airlock. Thoughtful stuff, but really just a teaser for the flipside 'Phobos', which is the unassuming killer here. Dark electrohouse with a intertwining bass and lead synth line that will forever stick in your head, Phobos builds to a climax of vacuum cleaner noises choking on dust - sure "wtf is that?" value and chef's choice to serve main course peak hour at your finest local establishment.