James Kumo - Space Dancer

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  • Dan Curtin's first three albums—Silicon Dawn, the Web of Life compilation and Art & Science—had a profound influence on my formative techno years in the mid-90s and since then, I've always harboured a soft spot for his work and his Metamorphic label. While Curtin or Metamorphic's current output doesn't sound as innovative as releases from that period, James Kumo, whose recent Ann Aimee work has impressed, nonetheless makes a compelling case for US-style dance floor techno on this 12-inch. "The Deep" starts with repetitive, robotic beats and subtle analogue bleeps and whirrs, but the sheets of metallic percussion and insistent riffs provide the necessary impetus. "Space Dancer" on the other hand, is more laid back, but Kumo's ability to fuse dubby beats and a dreamy and strangely catchy chord sequence with steely hi-hats and a rare, tasteful deployment of bongos, means that it isn't in danger of straying into noodly self-indulgence. Finally, Curtin himself weighs in with a remix of "Dancer." While recent releases for Mobilee, Leena and Tuning Spork show that his work has become aligned with a Euro-centric vision of minimalism, this remix as Planetary features an abstract, wiry rhythm and Detroit-tinged chords. It would be wrong to suggest Metamorphic has entered a second golden age, but in the meantime, Space Dancer is more than sufficient.
  • Tracklist
      A The Deep B1 Space Dancer B2 Space Dancer (Planetary's What Happens In Orbit Stays In Orbit Remix)
RA