- As far as retirements go, Alex Cortex is making sure that he goes out in style. Disappointed by irregular gigs and disappointing sales, and understandably frustrated by what he perceives as the appalling vista of the coke-snorting, groupie-shagging techno scene, he has decided to close this chapter in his life. However, before he goes, a few more EPs will capture the highlights of his remaining recordings.
I Won't Conform kickstarts this process, leaving a ridiculously high water mark for the rest of the series.
"Optumismo" is a glorious rolling techno groove, with swinging, subtle beats underpinning a subtle interplay between acid trippiness and warm chords, which Cortex proceeds to pitch bend, giving the track a wonderfully woozy feeling. The title track is radically different, with grainy sledgehammer beats providing a base for wild screeching analogue riffs and the kind of phased vocal repetition that Daniel Bell pioneered. "Aproximalamente," meanwhile, recycles "Amphetamine"-era trance hooks, but recontextualises the sound using a squelchy, stepping minimal backing. Finally, "Supernitengo" is based on a similar, somewhat less frenetic booming bass as Laurent Garnier's "Sound of the Big Babou," but true to his unpredictable nature, Cortex marries it with the hypnotic vibe of Brown Album-era Orbital (especially "Walk Now").
It's testament to Cortex's talent that he manages to borrow and take inspiration from such a plurality of sources, but always sounds distinctive. Cortex is a master of all trades, jack of none and a non-conformist in the truest sense. As such, he'll be sadly missed.
Tracklist A1 Optumismo
A2 I Won't Conform
B1 Aproximalamente
B2 Supernitengo