- The guys at Freund der Familie certainly know their stuff. Now into their fifth release, they are yet to disappoint or fail to surprise, each time managing to build an intriguing path through the heart of dub techno without resorting to the clichéd sounds and practices that often plague the genre. Besides sounding good, their releases also look great, and early editions of this one come in a custom bag as well.
For their fifth instalment, the emphasis is clearly on atmospheres—with a further aim to bend the dub techno shape into a deep house mould. Christopher Rau, who is about to take centre stage with his debut long player for Smallville, sets the mood of the EP with a lengthy and tender interpretation of "Symbian." The sense of melancholic romance may steer it away from the big room club, but makes it perfect for slow dancing or late, rainy nights indoors.
Baaz has already attracted the attention of Daniel Bell and Swiss producer Agnés prior to FDF. Here, his take on Symbian is the most straight dub techno of the three tracks, working the high end into grainy showers and static storms that scatter restlessly over the persistent kick drum. The final remix by debutant Delve courses somewhere between the two. Light and dreamy, it seems disembodied with only the backwards and forwards breath of the underpinning synth keeping it alive and in a state of saturated bliss.
Tracklist A Symbian (Christopher Rau Remix)
B1 Symbian (Baaz Remix)
B2 Symbian (Delve Remix)