19.454.18.5.25.5.18 - Horizontal Ground 006

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  • Like its Frozen Border sister label, previous Horizontal Ground releases have made a strong play on the purist techno sounds of the '90s, but the sixth instalment is the first one that actually seeks to emulate music released during that period. Like vintage Daniel Bell sound-clashing with Woody McBride, the untitled A side is a high-paced minimal workout, its dissected drums and yelping analogue riffs tempered by the only nod to contemporaneous production—the dead weight percussion that is synonymous with this series but also with productions by Ben Klock. The flip side has many of the same qualities: a fast pace and the same niggling analogue riffs and bleepy acid lines, but then the heavy percussive elements that have become a staple in modern-day "anonymous techno" kick in, reminding the listener that they aren't listening to 7th City or ESP's back catalogue. While both tracks imbue the series with far more clout than its predecessors had managed, the only problem is that the fast pace, especially on the A side, jar with the more leisurely tempos that prevail nowadays. With some judicious pitch controlling, however, number six still makes for one of the best releases in this consistently excellent series.
  • Tracklist
      A Untitled B Untitled
RA