[Art Of Dance] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3)

One of the spearheads of Detroit’s second wave of techno producers, Kenny Larkin has been responsible for some of the most spine tingling moments in the history of techno. It’s a fact that’s often overlooked, but his stunning discography leaves no doubt this is the case. With time spent repairing computers for the Air Force and an intended career in stand up comedy, Larkin’s entry into the Detroit scene was slightly delayed, though perhaps time spent examining the inner mechanics of machines helped with his productions. Before the release of this stone cold classic in 1997 he had already unleashed the brilliant Azimuth album, a string of singles, and under the Dark Comedy moniker the techno epic “War Of The Worlds.” With the issue of “Plankton,” backed with the equally mesmerizing “Clavia’s North” (on limited clear vinyl no less) Larkin’s reputation as a master craftsman of electronic communication reached a new high.

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“Plankton” has a minimalist groove running through it; a bass line tinged with acidic menace filters throughout the track coupled with a kick that inhales and exhales a breathless reverb, while hi-hats skip and sway throughout the same filters as the low end. It’s the soft Nord tones Larkin introduces over rising sci-fi strings that transport it into another dimension. Listening to Detroit techno used to feel like you had infiltrated some kind of secret society, its producers played up to it with the imagery and sounds they created. Larkin for his part here makes you feel like you’re traveling somewhere deep inside the recesses of the psyche. “Clavia’s North” on the flip side is the more dreamy cousin to “Plankton,” though for all its searching, transcendent melodies it is underpinned by a brooding, almost malevolent bass. More apparent than with “Plankton” are the multitude of layers here, some tugging against each other, others complimenting, some so subtle they are barely noticeable. Both tracks are a natural progression from “War Of The Worlds,” encompassing a transcendentally epic feeling, projecting the listener way beyond the confines of dance music. Technology may have changed the sound quality of more modern tracks but the ideas contained within this late nineties release rank right up there at the top.