[Hotflush Recordings]

Nearly a year has passed since Crooks & Lovers dropped. Where does the time go? High up on sleepy Mount Kimbie, it appears very little has changed. Carbonated, the latest bleary-eyed missive from the duo of Kai Campos and Dominic Maker, features the group’s first entirely new productions since Crooks, and every undersampled guitar strum, disembodied helium vocal, and cutely shaky drum pattern still sounds perfectly out of place. The new tracks, “Flux” and “Baves Chords,” can confidently go toe-to-toe with any album cut, admittedly without besting any of them. When you explore an extremely specific aesthetic as consistently as Mount Kimbie does, though, you’re not really seeking out highlights so much as further iterations. The former filters their inimitable sound through a curiously tense quasi-house beat, and the latter hits us with a damn pretty chord progression at a half-tempo throb. If you were hungry for new Mount Kimbie tracks your appetite will be sated, though admittedly you’d probably like nine or ten more bites.

Producers seem to take great pleasure in remixing Mount Kimbie: already shattered, their sound lends itself particularly well to being glued together however one sees fit. And Peter Van Hoesen has certainly sculpted something pretty unrecognizable out of “Carbonated.” The guy responsible for some of the best bass lines in techno melts down the track’s digitized sensitivity and coaxes us to dance through the steam. It is, in a word, heavy — dare I say heeeeaaaavy — even for Van Hoesen, though his keen shifting of the beat keeps the mood euphoric. Klaus, who takes on “Adriatic,” gives us a pretty good idea of what Ben Frost covering these guys would sound like, and it’s a damn awesome prospect: Mount Kimbie’s tentative acoustic guitars now sound like distant bomb blasts and pipe clangs, and their lighthearted ambience has been replaced with palpable dread. Airhead’s version of “Carbonated,” however, isn’t set on transforming the track so much as straightening it out. It’s not a bad look — dubstep DJs will surely appreciate having a mixable version of the track — but it’s maybe a slightly too-tidy one for these guys. As a whole, Carbonated will likely keep Mount Kimbie fresh in your mind and, through one remix or another, a mainstay on your decks. Hopefully we won’t have to wait a year for more.

01. Maxi Mill, “To The Next”
[Rush Hour Recordings] (buy)
Besides its well regarded reissue campaigns and tireless advocacy of U.S. house, Rush Hour Recordings pays close attention to up-and-coming talents internationally and in its own backyard as well. Their Direct Current and Direct Voyage sub-labels bear the fruits of this relentless A&Ring, with BNJMN, Cosmin TRG, Braille, (et al) all making notable appearances. Now you can add the young Dutch talent Maxi Mill to that list with his stunning debut single, To The Next. The first thing I noticed about the title track was its remarkable use of depth in the sound design; its punchy, bass line seems to dart towards you as it charges up the scale, contoured with whirling chords and orbited by live claps and anxious tom patterns. Maxi Mill’s arrangements are handled with an equally deft hand, stopping and starting the track on a dime, leaving you craving all the elements at once and eager to hear what comes in next. Even its pitch- and pulse-raising break seems to meltdown to glorious nothingness before the ravishing bass line returns to lead the charge. Major kudos to the Rush Hour crew for finding and releasing the work of this yet-unknown producer. If his future work is even half as good he’ll be firing up dance floors for years to come.

02. Morning Factory, “Fantasy Check”
[Royal Oak] (buy)
In the span of only three releases the Dutch duo Morning Factory has covered a fair amount of stylistic territory, keeping only a few elements — rolling hand percussion and a two-armed embrace of melody — as constants. But with their debut Royal Oak single (following their exciting reinvention of Reggie Dokes’ “Once Again” for the Clone sub-label), they’ve hit upon a sweet spot that combines the best of their instincts into one unforgetable track. Flickering to life like a long dormant film reel, “Fantasy Check” spins into focus with a bright, trembling vocal sample and grainy disco beat. It gives way to syncopated piano chords tucked into a nebulous low end that hovers around like a protective friend and eventually reunites the two halves in one spectacular moment. What’s really compelling about the tune is how it conjures that sense of reliving memories you never had by showing great respect to house music’s past without directly emulating any of it. And in doing so, this gracefully arranged track seems likely to find its place among house music’s many classics, at least on my shelves.

03. Rio Padice, “Woodland”
[Claque Musique] (buy)
The old adage has it that “timing is everything,” and it’s an enduring truth in a variety of ways. Looking past the obvious meanings, I’m thinking of timing with regards to when a producer places their elements in each measure. The bulk of dance music artists tend to follow familiar formulas when it comes to timing (backbeat hi-hats, 4×4 kicks on each beat, etc.), so when someone moves beyond the basics it’s instantly noticeable and often refreshing. That’s definitely the case with Rio Padice’s “Woodland,” the title track of his Claque Musique single. Its whispered melodies and agile bass line are an enjoyable starting point, but the tune kicks into gear when a plucked synth lead ascends and lingers into the next bar, only to drop its last note a whole five beats later. This is further accentuated by the off-beat jabs of a closed hi-hat, prodding listeners forward just as the intoxicating melodic movements beckon further down the road. It’s the kind of track you’d expect to hear coming from an old Prescription or Balance record — an inviting track that contains just enough weirdness to make its familiar components seem alluringly exotic. Admittedly this is the first time the Italian producer Padice has made it onto my radar; yet after playing “Woodland” on repeat for the past few months I’ll be paying much closer attention to his output.

04. Mount Kimbie, “Carbonated” (Peter Van Hoesen Remix) [Hotflush Recordings] (buy)
One of the reasons why Mount Kimbie’s songs make such great remix source material is the duo’s intense focus on the details. With all the space left in their composition each sound is open to intense scrutiny, and MK tend to craft sounds worthy of close examination. Many remixers retain this ethos when offering their own vision, as Peter Van Hoesen has while remixing “Carbonated.” This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows his background in sound design or his past originals, but it’s particularly striking in this context. Each twitch, pop, snap and crunch demands as much attention as the gargantuan bass line that strides to the forefront, almost as if it’s the distraction in a sleight of hand trick. The tune is just as stunning taken as a whole, from pads swelling intensely along the edges to the octave jump the main progression makes. It’s probably Van Hoesen’s most accessible work to date and certainly one of his best remixes. If nothing else it provides spectacular means for DJs to fit Mount Kimbie into their house or techno sets and will keep this record in demand for a wide swath of EDM admirers.

05. Roof Light, “On The Third”
[Phuture Shock Musik] (buy tk)
It’s an odd record that simultaneously evokes My My’s micro-house mosaics and the whimsy of turn of the century UK garage, but then Roof Light is an odd producer. Having released for an unusual but praise-worthy assortment of labels including Styrax Records, Millions Of Moments, Highpoint Lowlife, and a few smaller labels, there aren’t many obvious hints as to what kind of dance music the artist born as Gareth Munday makes. His latest record, On The Third for Phuture Shock Musik, offers cross sections of the mutant strains of UK house, with its title track being far and away the highlight. It comes on as if an amnesiac were trying to reassemble what had happened to house music over the last 10 years. Munday glues together percolating drum patterns girded by backhanded notes using an amorphous synth line that coats the track in a layer of lovable dust. Sudden string stabs provide bursts of urgency that’s ameliorated somewhat by distant female vocals and that gooey synth line still flowing throughout the percussive framework. It’s too familiar to deserve the somewhat absurd future garage tag, so I’ll settle on “UK house music I’d like to hear a lot more of, thanks.”

06. Ricardo Miranda, “Urbanism”
[Noble Square Recordings] (buy)
07. Legowelt, “Backwoods Fantasies”
[Long Island Electrical Systems] (buy)
08. Levon Vincent, “Man or Mistress”
[Novel Sound] (buy)
09. DJ Duke, “Summer Madness”
[Self Defence Records] (buy)
10. Juju & Jordash, “Chelm Is Burning”
[Golf Channel Recordings] (buy)

Staff Charts:

Per Bojsen-Moller
01. Analogue Solutions, “The Piano Experiment” [Analogue Solutions]
02. Taron Trekka, “R.Gelb” [Maria Colors]
03. Levon Vincent, “Man Or Mistress” [Novel Sound]
04. John Beltran, “Brilliant Flood (Kassem Mosse & Mix Mup Remix)” [Delsin]
05. FaltyDL, “Make It Difficult” [All City Records]
06. Recloose, “Parquet” [Rush Hour]
07. Cosmin TRG, “Fizic” [50 Weapons]
08. Eduardo De La Calle, “The Concept Sampler” [Analogue Solutions]
09. Vakula, “Mama Said Go Slow” [Shevchenko]
10. Move D, “Untitled A” [Workshop]

Steve Kerr
01. Moomin, “Watermelon (Marvin Dash Edit)” [Aim]
02. Jhene Aiko, “Do Better Blues Pt. 2 (Marvin’s Room)” [Self-Released]
03. Afrikan Sciences, “Entitlement” [Deepblak]
04. Ital, “Culture Clubs” [Lovers Rock]
05. Hype Williams, “Rise Up” [Hyperdub]
06. Laurel Halo, “Hour Logic” [Hippos In Tanks]
07. Vakula, “Mama Said Go Slow” [Shevchenko]
08. M5, “Celestial Highways” [Metroplex]
09. Legowelt, “Sark Island Acid” [L.I.E.S.]
10. George FitzGerald, “Silhouette (John Roberts Remix)” [Aus Music]

Anton Kipfel
01. Todd Terje, “Snooze 4 Love” [Running Back]
02. Machinedrum, “Now U Know The Deal 4 Real” [Planet Mu]
03. Recloose, “Tecumseh” [Rush Hour Recordings]
04. Lucky Paul ft. Mara TK, “Elephant Island” (Greg Paulus Remix) [Wolf+Lamb]
05. DJ Duke, “Summer Madness” [Self Defence]
06. Chicago Skyway & Dcook, “Lager” (Obsolete Music Technology Remix) [M>O>S Deep]
07. M.A.N.D.E.A.R., “Buddies” (Radio Slave Panorama Garage Remix) [Get Physical Music]
08. Maxi Mill, “Sun Rays” [Rush Hour Recordings]
09. Levon Vincent, “Man or Mistress” [Novel Sound]
10. Recast, “Consensual” [Third Ear Recordings]

Kuri Kondrak
01. Anthony Nicholson, “Suntek” [Neroli]
02. Alex Israel, “GAZ-13″ [W.T. Records]
03. Nebraska, “Characteristics” [Rush Hour]
04. Lerosa, “In My Mind” [Uzuri]
05. R-A-G, “Rage” [M>O>S]
06. Unit Moebius, “Dolfinarium” [Clone Classic Cuts]
07. Vakula, “Track 1″ [Unthank]
08. Esteban Adame, “I’ll Never Give Up” [Underground Quality]
09. Parris Mitchell, “Rubber Jazz Band” [Deep Moves]
10. Slowburn, “Medicusa” [Elektrosouls]

Chris Miller
01. Levon Vincent, “Man or Mistress” [Novel Sound]
02. Reagenz, “The Labyrinth” [Ostgut Ton]
03. Vladislav Delay, “Latoma” [Echocord]
04. Autechre, “Skin Up, You’re Already Dead” [N/A]
05. Miles, “Flawed” [Modern Love]
06. Speedy J, “De-Orbit” [NRK Sound Division]
07. Benjamin Brunn, “Queen Mary” [Smallville Records]
08. Move D, “Workshop 13 B2″ [Workshop]
09. Margaret Dygas, “Missing You Less” [Perlon]
10. Tshetsha Boys, “Anidyi Nyama” [Honest Jon's]

Andrew Ryce
01. Machinedrum, “U Don’t Survive” [Planet Mu]
02. Sam KDC, “Symbol #3.1″ [Auxiliary]
03. Modeselektor, “Shipwreck” [Monkeytown]
04. Shlohmo, “Seriously” [Friends of Friends]
05. Instra:mental, “Vicodin (Skudge Warehouse RMX)” [[Nakedlunch]]
06. Sully, “2Hearts” [Keysound]
07. araabMUZIK, “AT2″ [Duke]
08. Balam Acab, “Apart” [Tri Angle]
09. John Heckle, “The Voyager (Voyeur)” [Mathematics]
10. Cosmin TRG, “Amor Y Otros” [50 Weapons]

Chicago, are you ready for another double dose of bad ass techno? Oktave once again provides and LWE once again wants to help you enjoy it. If you want to win a pair of tickets to see Function (Sandwell District), Peter Van Hoesen (Time to Express), and Jeff Derringer (Oktave founder) at Smart Bar on June 11th, simply email contest[at]littlewhiteearbuds.com with your favorite release by any of the featured artists and “OKTAVE CONTEST” as the subject line. Two winners will be chosen at random from the entries and notified via email. Contest closes on June 8th at 10am CST. Good luck; hope to see you there either way!

10. Darkstar, North
[Hyperdub] (buy)
Darkstar’s debut LP, North, represented a sizable stylistic shift from music they had released up to that point, but when put to the test, transpired to be one of the year’s triumphs. Having evolved from a production duo to a live trio, Darkstar were likely to find themselves trapped between identities, and this album finds comfort in curling up inside the space between old and new. In one sense stepping away from their more obvious dubstep inclinations, the album’s dark, intimate atmosphere simultaneously hearkens back to the early, moodier roots of the genre, huddling in the middle-ground between the electronic and organic as demonstrated on the fizzling beats and sorrowful overtones of “Deadness” and the title track’s machine-gun ballad. However this is a record of cohesion, not conflict; North presents such a introspective train of thought that the spark of brightness injected by earlier hit “Aidy’s Girl’s A Computer” almost seems out of place. However, this isn’t an album that seeks to depress. The mournful strains ebbing throughout are colored with a melancholic hopefulness rather than despondency; and while closing track “When It’s Gone” is just a few black-clad mourners short of a funeral march for the technological age, North christens the promising future in store for Darkstar’s fledgling sound. (Jack Scourfield)

09. Urban Tribe, Urban Tribe
[Mahogani Music] (buy)
Even though the main contributors (Kenny Dixon Jr, Anthony Shakir and Carl Craig) to Urban Tribe are well known, there is still an air of mystery that pervades this year’s Urban Tribe album. Combing through several interviews with founding member Sherard Ingram won’t make it any clearer who did what. In a way, not knowing only adds to the fantastical realm the album inhabits. The industrial dub landscape envisioned in the landmark 1998 debut, The Collapse Of Modern Culture, is expanded upon as the tracks here cover plenty of new ground. Morphing from strange yet wonderful excursions into future soul dubstep (“Program 2″) and claustrophobic hip-hop (“Program 7″) to more straight-ahead deep electro (“Program 5″) and melancholic deep house (“Program 12″), Urban Tribe is provocative in a way that haunts you long after the record stops.
(Kuri Kondrak)

08. Autechre, Oversteps
[Warp Records] (buy)
Autechre’s place in electronic music has often been slightly ahead of everyone else. From the gestational IDM of Tri Repetae to the proto-glitch of Envane and Draft 7.30 all the way through to Confield‘s controversial noise excursions, they’ve had a knack for sneaking up on emerging sounds. The post-dubstep bass textures coupled with beautiful melodies on Oversteps find Autechre with their ear to the ground in 2010 even while continuing their career trend of constantly looking a step beyond. Certainly, opener “R Ess” is rides the resurgence of deep and dark dubstep from artists like Kryptic Minds and Horsepower Productions, even while it sounds uniquely like their handiwork. Even on more standard experimental productions like “Illanders” and “Treale,” the steady thump and deep low-end easily makes these contenders for speaker-rattling choices in the club. In amongst the modern beats and bass are some of the boldest forays into melody Autechre have produced in years. “Known(1)” and “See On See” are both heavily focused on melody, with baroque sounds and structures weaving throughout seemingly abstract backgrounds. Yet here’s no doubt this is an Autechre album, as strange, bubbling music-scatters like “D-Sho Qub” and “St Epreo” clearly show the producers have not emerged from the rabbit hole to aim for dance floor stardom. In an exciting and varied years for electronic music, Sean Booth and Rob Brown prove that songs can be experimental, sound beautiful, and bump heavily all at the same time. (Keith Pishnery)

07. Peter van Hoesen, Entropic City
[Time To Express] (buy)
The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy (“disorder”) of the universe tends to increase. Peter van Hoesen was wise to choose this as the subject of his first techno full length — not only to capture the hearts of nerds like myself but also because his work seems to embody the concept. His tightly wound tunes, alive with texture and warmth, seem to break down and disintegrate or coalesce around a cloud of synth-born matter. We’re treated to plenty of sweaty 6 AM jams often associated with PVH, but Entropic City stands out as one of the years best because he tempers the tempo and energy with languid, atmospheric cuts. It’s on these slower tunes where van Hoesen’s attention to detail and trance-inducing powers are on full display, where the cliches of techno albums break down. Entropic City is hardly just a collection of tracks: it’s a living, breathing ensemble, with each part’s motion tied into the larger whole — not unlike a city. (Chris Miller)

06. Jon McMillion, Jon McMillion LP
[Nuearth Kitchen] (buy)
Jon McMillion’s debut album didn’t so much appear out of nowhere as it did slowly take shape amongst the fog of other long players this year; in fact for many it was heralded by the stellar collection of remixes that succeeded it. With little to no fanfare to the Seattle producer’s past efforts, he released his imperforate self titled album in September on CD and digital formats, unwittingly turning in the sleeper album of the year. Densely packed with intricate melodies that owe as much to progressive rock and free jazz as conventional house music, McMillion’s album seeps into your senses like a rising tide. The familiar emblems of house are present throughout the album, but it’s the free-form embellishments that tip this long player over the edge into rarely explored territories and mark its uniqueness. McMillion’s voice is a constant presence throughout, but as it coaxes the listener into aural hypnosis with heavy delays he also patches in to sampled elements, making for some of the most familiar-fresh sounds you’ve heard of late. With the digital release of the album clocking in at nearly two hours (and not a scrap of any filler), this is without a doubt one of the most rewarding start to finish albums you’re likely to hear in a long time. (Per Bojsen-Moller)

05. Mount Kimbie, Crooks & Lovers
[Hotflush Recordings] (buy)
On their early EPs, Mount Kimbie sounded like they’d shattered the vase of futuristic dubstep and were trying to figure out how to superglue it back together. By the sound of their debut album, however, the group decided to shatter the vase once again, this time just for fun. Crooks & Lovers exists on the opposite end of the spectrum from Mala’s Return II Space, another one of this year’s finest, albeit for very different reasons: where the DMZ opus restated dubstep’s purpose, Mount Kimbie’s record — a jangly, flawed-to-perfection set not much longer than a Villalobos single — corrupted seemingly without remorse. This year of all years, though we’ve learned that dubstep can sound awesome when it’s all out of whack, and on Crooks & Lovers, there’s truly an art to Mount Kimbie’s nonchalance. Across 11 tracks, each scraggly drum hit, guitar twang, and shred of diva vocal sits mismatched and in precisely the wrong place. But I’m sure anyone who cherished this album shudders to think of what Dominic Maker and Kai Campos would sound like if they’d followed the directions. Other records might have evoked the music of tomorrow as much as Crooks & Lovers, but it’s safe to say that no other album envisioned the year 2100 as a world dominated by an elite of Etsy barons. High tech and handcrafted? Mount Kimbie has proved no one else does it quite like they do. Let’s hope they keep doing it.
(Jordan Rothlein)

04. Scuba, Triangulation
[Hotflush Recordings] (buy)
Forget dubstep for a second, forget its fruitful crossover with techno that’s been going on for years now, forget everything. Scuba’s second album, Triangulation, is just a beautiful piece of spatial sound design: that it comes packed with fantastically inventive beats is a lovely bonus. Triangulation picked up all the loose ends that have been poking out of UK bass music and enveloped each one in Paul Rose’s particular array of moods and sounds. As sensually humid as it was coldly industrial, its sounds had a habit of diffusing in and out the mix like warm breath in a frozen warehouse. It was sufficiently sleek to fulfill even the most extreme futurist fetishes but approachable enough to satisfy listeners looking for something more soulful and affecting. Scuba adeptly played with techno (“Heavy Machinery”), dubstep (“Three Sided Shape”), garage (“On Deck”), and crawling halfstep drum-n-bass (twin standouts “Before” and “So You Think You’re Special”) without ever moving beyond his (vast) comfort zone. However, the album’s best quality is that it made context needless even in the presence of multiple genre exercises: in providing a comprehensive survey of current dance music, he demolished dance music itself and rebuilt it with his own set of rules. Triangulation was a collective epiphany, the sound of an accomplished artist discovering what he needed to do and then doing it right before your eyes. It doesn’t matter what you think about “dubstep,” anyone who was interested in electronic music in 2010 needs this record to witness one of its most daring and inspiring events. (Andrew Ryce)

03. John Roberts, Glass Eights
[Dial] (buy)
After a string of laudable 12-inches and a few scattered remixes and compilation cuts, John Roberts made good on his promise as Dial’s next great album producer with his debut long player, Glass Eights. The album finds him coalescing around a more uniform aesthetic, sounding a bit like you’d expect the producer’s headspace would during a succession of ten sunless winter days. Gone are the overt ghetto-house references, that former swagger now drenched in piano reverb and twinkling bells, those eternal signifiers of electronic melancholia. Deeper listens divulge an intensive attention to detail, compositions so nuanced and personal it feels shameful to worry about their efficacy in a club setting. Roberts notoriously composes in bed, and Glass Eights bears its influence, using house music as a bridge between the openness of his own space and the claustrophobic rest of the world. To sound purely like oneself, especially on one’s debut album, is a high achievement, and this is precisely what Roberts has done. (Steve Kerr)

02. Shed, The Traveller
[Ostgut Ton] (buy)
If Shedding The Past, René Pawlowitz’s first album as Shed, was a personal manifesto then his sophomore long-player, The Traveller, was closer to a collection of short stories. Its 48-minute run-time belied how many styles and ideas Pawlowitz was able to execute, containing 14 tracks wherein the revered artist flexed his production muscles in almost every imaginable direction. Despite flitting from euphoric ambience (“Stp2″) and chunky, Detroit-influenced techno (“Atmo-Action”) to face-melting techno (“Hdrtm”) and grandiose junglisms (“Leave Things”), the sustained complexity and quality of the arrangements bind the album together. Its diversity recalled the genre-spanning albums that were once common in electronic music (think early LFO, The Black Dog or B12 LPs) and Pawlowitz’s ravishing slate of melodies echoes the timeless sonorities of early Richard D. James productions. The Traveller feels like a product of its circumstances — having been created at the behest of Ostgut Ton in a mere two months — and its maker’s curt personality, taking only the time necessary to make its case and then moving on. Standing in contrast with his first full-length, Pawlowitz’s sophomore album was sure to disappoint those who anticipated another grand treatise. Expecting as much missed the point: The Traveller was a potent dispatch from where Pawlowitz stood in 2010, one that found him still far ahead of the pack with plenty of ammunition to spare. (Steve Mizek)

01. Actress, Splazsh
[Honest Jon's Records] (buy)
Discussing the quest for his own little corner of the electronic music spectrum with The Wire, unabashed techno enthusiast Darren Cunningham spoke candidly on the anxiety of influence. “When you’ve got the Detroit shadow looming over you… you need to come with something quite decent. I took time to find what my sound was.” Splazsh is the stunning realization of that effort, a richly introverted hour whose modulated drones, anxious stop-start rhythms and swung funk distinguishes itself from forebears and contemporaries through what are, by now, Actress’ calling-card idiosyncrasies: the raw rumble of blown-out bass, the overdone EQ-ing and, of course, the security-tape rendering of compression and distortion. These tricks coalesce hypnotically in a twinning of the ominous and euphoric, but it isn’t sound design that made Splazsh one of 2010′s major events. It’s that Cunningham just seems to be viewing music from a markedly different vantage point than the rest of us. This is a guy who originally fancied 2009′s “Ghosts Have A Heaven” a good fit for Underground Resistance, and who described “Hubble” as a study of “Erotic City.” And his sophomore LP is every bit as eccentric, abstract and playful as we hoped to hear. Hopscotching from spectral haze to glassy R&B to nightvision garage to aggro glitch, Splazsh sometimes manages to roll and swing and swagger and coo all at once. But it regularly puzzles and surprises us too, never quite fitting the hybridized genre tags we lob at it. We’ll surely be listening closely to this one long after 2010 ends, clamoring for a glimpse of whatever it is that Darren Cunningham sees through his prismatic window to the world of rhythm music. (Chris Burkhalter)

++
Staff Lists:

Per Bojsen-Moller

01. Actress, Splazsh [Honest Jon's Records]
02. Mount Kimbie, Crooks & Lovers [Hotflush Recordings]
03. John Roberts, Glass Eights [Dial]
04. Jon McMillion, Jon McMillion LP [Nuearth Kitchen]
05. Scuba, Triangulation [Hotflush Recordings]
06. Four Tet, There Is Love In You [Domino]
07. Christopher Rau, Asper Clouds [Smallville]
08. Conforce, Machine Conspiracy [Meanwhile]
09. Peter Van Hoesen, Entropic City [Time To Express]
10. Caribou, Swim [City Slang]

Chris Burkhalter

01. Actress, Splazsh [Honest Jon's Records]
02. Arp & Anthony Moore, Today’s Psalter [RVNG]
03. Autechre, Oversteps [Warp]
04. Peter Van Hoesen, Entropic City [Time To Express]
05. Masayoshi Fujita & Jan Jelinek, Bird, Lake, Objects [Faitiche]
06. Digital Mystikz, Return II Space [DMZ]
07. Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh [Motown]
08. John Roberts, Glass Eights [Dial]
09. Lerosa, Dual Nature [Further]
10. Donato Dozzy, K [Further]

Steve Kerr

01. Actress, Splazsh [Honest Jon’s]
02. John Roberts, Glass Eights [Dial]
03. Urban Tribe, Urban Tribe [Mahogani Music]
04. DJ Roc, The Crack Capone [Planet Mu]
05. Shed, The Traveller [Ostgut Tonträger]
06. Salem, King Night [IAMSOUND]
07. Autre Ne Veut, Autre Ne Veut [Olde English Spelling Bee]
08. Arp, The Soft Wave [Smalltown Supersound]
09. Lukid, Chord [Werk Discs]
10. Grimes, Halfaxa [Arbutus]

Anton Kipfel

01. John Roberts, Glass Eights [Dial]
02. Sandwell District, Feed-Forward [Sandwell District]
03. Shed, The Traveller [Ostgut Ton]
04. Brandt Brauer Frick, You Make Me Real [!K7]
05. Actress, Splazsh [Honest Jon's Records Records]
06. Scuba, Triangulation [Hotflush Recordings]
07. Jon McMillion, Jon McMillion LP [Nuearth Kitchen]
08. Mount Kimbie, Crooks & Lovers [Hotflush Recordings]
09. Ripperton, Niwa [Green]
10. Peter Van Hoesen, Entropic City [Time To Express]

Kuri Kondrak

01. A Guy Called Gerald, Tronic Jazz The Berlin Sessions [Laboratory Instinct]
02. Urban Tribe, Urban Tribe [Mahogani]
03. Lone, Emerald Fantasy Tracks [Magic Wire]
04. Red Rack’em, The Early Years [Bergerac]
05. Actress, Splaszh [Honest Jon's Records]
06. Jon McMillion, Jon McMillion LP [Nuearth Kitchen]
07. Fabrice Lig, Genesis Of The Deep [Fine Art Recordings]
08. Aybee, Ancient Tones [Further]
09. The Black Dog , Music For Real Airports [Soma]
10. Oneohtrix Point Never, Returnal [Editions Mego]

Chris Miller

01. Scuba, Triangulation [Hotflush Recordings]
02. John Roberts, Glass Eights [Dial]
03. Shed, The Traveller [Ostgut Ton]
04. Peter van Hoesen, Entropic City [Time To Express]
05. Actress, Splazsh [Honest Jon's Records]
06. Demdike Stare, Liberation Through Hearing [Modern Love]
07. Autechre, Oversteps [Warp]
08. Mount Kimbie, Crooks & Lovers [Hotflush Recordings]
09. Donnacha Costello, Before We Say Goodbye [Poker Flat]
10. Donato Dozzy, K [Further Records]

Steve Mizek

01. John Roberts, Glass Eights [Dial]
02. Actress, Splazsh [Honest Jon's Records Records]
03. Shed, The Traveller [Ostgut Ton]
04. Robyn, Body Talk [Konnichiwa]
05. Emeralds, Do You Think I’m Here? [Editions Mego]
06. Jon McMillion, Jon McMillion LP [Nuearth Kitchen]
07. Lindstrøm & Christabelle, Real Life Is No Cool
[Feedelity/Smalltown Supersound]
08. Tobacco, Manic Meat [Anticon]
09. Arto Mwambe, Live At Robert Johnson Vol. 4 [Live at Robert Johnson]
10. Brandt Brauer Frick, You Make Me Real [!K7]

Sarah Joy Murray

01. Reagenz, Playtime [Workshop]
02. Lerosa, Dual Nature [Further]
03. Shed, The Traveller [Ostgut Ton]
04. Space Dimension Controller, Temporary Thrillz [R&S Records]
05. Pantha du Prince, Black Noise [Rough Trade]
06. Redshape, Red Pack [Present]
07. Margaret Dygas, How Do You Do [Power Shovel Audio]
08. Peter Van Hoesen, Entropic City [Time to Express]
09. Virgo, Virgo (Reissue) [Rush Hour]
10. Aybee, Ancient Tones [Further]

Keith Pishnery

01. Rudi Zygadlo, Great Western Laymen [Planet Mu]
02. Ital Tek, Midnight Colour [Planet Mu]
03. Starkey, Ear Drums and Black Holes [Planet Mu]
04. Autechre, Oversteps [Warp]
05. Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma [Warp]
06. Terror Danjah, Undeniable [Hyperdub]
07. Four Tet, There Is Love In You [Domino]
08. Scuba, Triangulation [Hotflush Recordings]
09. Ikonika, Contact, Love, Want Have [Hyperdub]
10. Take, Only Mountain [Alpha Pup]

Jordan Rothlein

01. Mount Kimbie, Crooks & Lovers [Hotflush Recordings]
02. T++, Wireless [Honest Jon's Records]
03. Shed, The Traveller [Ostgut Tonträger]
04. Digital Mystikz, Return II Space [DMZ]
05. John Roberts, Glass Eights [Dial]
06. Tin Man, Scared [White Denim]
07. Scuba, Triangulation [Hotflush Recordings]
08. Sleigh Bells, Treats [Mom + Pop]
09. Actress, Splazsh [Honest Jon's Records Records]
10. Salem, King Night [IAMSOUND]

Andrew Ryce

01. Scuba, Triangulation [Hotflush Recordings]
02. Darkstar, North [Hyperdub]
03. Shed, The Traveller [Ostgut Ton]
04. Jack Sparrow, Circadian [Tectonic]
05. ASC, Nothing Is Certain [NonPlus+]
06. Sandwell District, Feed-Forward [Sandwell District]
07. Guido, Anidea [Punch Drunk]
08. Pantha Du Prince, Black Noise [Rough Trade]
09. Roof Light, Kirkwood Gaps [Highpoint Lowlife]
10. Terror Danjah, Undeniable [Hyperdub]

Jack Scourfield

01. Eleven Tigers, Clouds Are Mountains [Soul Motive]
02. Jimmy Edgar, XXX [Studio !K7]
03. Darkstar, North [Hyperdub]
04. Baths, Cerulean [Anticon]
05. Teebs, Ardour [Brainfeeder]
06. Four Tet, There Is Love In You [Domino]
07. Salem, King Night [IamSound]
08. Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma [Warp]
09. Terror Danjah, Undeniable [Hyperdub]
10. Dettmann, Dettmann [Ostgut Ton]

For our milestone 25th podcast, Belgium’s techno champion Peter Van Hoesen offered LWE a banging live set littered with unreleased material available nowhere else. Make sure to make it yours before it heads off to the archives this Friday, October 22 at 10am CST.

[CLR]

Traversable Wormhole is so 2009. It’s telling that it took a series of anonymous and cryptic white label singles for a producer like Adam X — who never really stopped releasing music — to fall back into popular favor, highlighting the oft-fashionable side of techno: Traversable Wormhole was simply the right thing at the right time. It’s also telling that a series of limited vinyl-only singles helped to rocket an established producer back into (relative) fame, as the Internet renders these sorts of release constraints irrelevant. All context aside, Traversable Wormhole simply offered some excellent dark techno: a little industrial, a smidgen mystical, and overwhelmingly foreboding but always with the groove in mind.

Of course, we nerdy types are all about context, and it’s hard to think of a better way to properly spread the Wormhole catalogue than what Chris Liebing’s CLR label has done: re-releasing the first 5 EPs in a new order with new remixes from some of the biggest names going. The first EP takes two tracks from the second and fourth releases and tacks on excellent remixes from Marcel Dettmann and Peter Van Hoesen. The two tracks selected are as good an introduction to X’s latest alias as any; “Closed Timelike Curve” is uncouth, grunting with dirty kick drums, decayed synths and ominous pads that sound as if they’re caught between trying to heighten the anxiety and driving the dance. More explicitly industrial, “When 2D Meets 3D” sounds like a factory, steam-powered machines and clanking metal going off in atonal harmony. There’s little semblance of melody until a hollow choral riff emerges halfway through, and what should sound completely ridiculous and over the top works so well in Mr. Wormhole’s expert hands.

The remixes are, surprisingly enough, just as strong as the originals. Dettmann’s remix of “Curve” will come as a relief to those worried by the moodier, more restrained direction explored on his debut LP; it’s a rough-edged tool so aggressive it’s practically vulgar. The pads are coated in thick, ugly distortion, and the metallic kick is so rapid and incessant as to be obnoxious; it’s a relief when the other percussion comes in, providing a semblance of softer, rounder sounds amidst all the serrated edges. The remix of “When 2D Meets 3D” by Belgium’s techno hero Peter Van Hoesen is a little softer, splitting the insular original wide open and sticking a throbbing kick inside; the newly opened spaces allow the sounds to reverberate and new ones to drift in. It’s hard to say whether or not the strength of this package is due to Liebing’s curatorial skills or simply a reassertion of Adam X’s genius, nor is the question of timing going away anytime soon (could this sort of techno be popular four or five years ago?), but why quibble when we’ve got music this strong in front of us?

[Exone]

For an artist with such an intensely personal and even innovative sound, Belgium’s Peter Van Hoesen is remarkably prolific, pumping out material left-and-right on a number of different labels. His latest comes on Exercise One’s Exone label, and it’s a track that hearkens back to his slightly more assertive pre-2010 material. Where his recent work has seen him sometimes softening, flattening and dividing his sounds into more abstract territory, “Irrational X” is pure unleaded techno, shooting out with so much stored energy that it shakes and trembles as it charges forwards. The main riff is diced into tiny, harshly-angled blocks and it undulates up and down as wonderfully old-school sounding snares use it as a pillowy jumping-off point — it’s delightful to hear such rough and primitive sounds from the Hose again.

However, being a release on Exercise One’s label, there’s of course a remix by the duo themselves, quite ably managing to outshine the original. Upping the self-consciously “classic” factor, their remix sensually pumps blood into frozen veins, the punctured silences replaced by warm and heaving low-end fuzz. That impossibly long and twisty riff is bunched up into bursts of static that hit like glorious snags in the track’s progression — a purposeful malfunction. It’s a symphony of errors as these noises multiply and begin to form the backbone of the track, flipping the initially retro exercise into a triumphant workout in techno futurism. Perhaps ironically, it sounds much more in line with the recent Hose discography than the original mix, which either says a lot for Exercise One’s remixing skills or Van Hoesen’s considerably looming influence on techno at the moment. The original is also presented in a more deliberate “Slowmix,” taking the skeletal framework and gumming up the joints with noxious industrial waste products. It’s always a treat when a remix manages to actually improve on the faster version, and when the original is so solid to begin with, it’s hard to argue against a twelve like this.

Podcasts, podcasts and podcasts. They keep on coming and, if you’re like me, it’s tough to keep up with all of them. Semi-regular series like mnml ssgs, weekly series like RA and ours truly, and even bi-weekly series like FACT all roll out the goods, not to mention plenty of other mix sets as well as one offs on Soundcloud and scattered blogs. So while this list is far from comprehensive and certainly from only one person’s perspective, these are ten of the best mixes I’ve heard so far this year, hopefully offering some signposts to where you can find some soon-to-be favorites for yourself.

mnml ssgs mix 50: Peter van Hoesen
I hate to be predictable, but sometimes it’s necessary. The fact a Peter Van Hoesen mix tops my mixes of the year so far is perhaps typical of my tastes, but what can I say? This is undoubtedly the best mix I’ve heard in 2010, straying from the dark, heady techno you may expect from Van Hoesen and into housier territory. Recent favorites from Theo Parrish, Juju & Jordash and Levon Vincent all feature here, as well as Ben Frost’s hospital room experiments and van Hoesen’s own grooves.

Wax Treatment #9: Surgeon
For those of us who spend far too much time browsing Hard Wax’s online bins, the monthly Wax Treatment podcast was a more than welcome addition to our podcast feeds. Dub and techno often mixed by DJ Pete, the ninth edition saw British Murder Boy and all-around badman Surgeon step up to the decks for a blistering set of 140 bpm funky and techno. A prelude to his as-of-writing-forthcoming fabric 53 mix, Wax Treatment #9 sees Joker, Cheap and Deep, and Autechre all get mixed up in a taut 50 minutes. It’s been archived, so if you missed it on your first go around here’s your chance to hear it.

OTAM Mix 23: Kassem Mosse – ‘Workshopmix’
Most of us know Kassem Mosse’s spectacular production skills, but he’s a damn good DJ as well, as proven by this mix he did for blog Out There A Minute earlier this year. It’s quintessentially Workshop: bringing you both back to house sounds of yore while simultaneously forging a new sound. Shedding the past, perhaps? Attach any grad student word you like, but don’t let it distract you from what this mix really is: rough, jacking analog house at its best.

The Bunker Podcast 66: Newworldaquarium
I wasn’t in New York for the premier of Unsound New York festival, and it bums me out every time I’m reminded. If you missed out as well and salivated at my colleagues’ Unsound coverage you should be thrilled to know that Newworldaquarium’s two hour set has been utilized by the Bunker as part of their outstanding podcast series. A trip through some of the finest house music around (as well as some yet-to-be-released goodies from NWAQ himself), you owe it to yourself to download this one stat and dive in. I may not have been there to hear this set live, but at least I know good it was.

RA.203: 2562
Sometimes you stumble upon a mix that isn’t necessarily a major revelation, but just mixes up a bunch of your recent favorites really, really well. For me, that mix was RA’s 203rd podcast by Dave Huismans. Instra:mental’s Mount Kimbie remix, Shake’s “The Other One,” DJ Qu’s “Party People Clap”: they’re all here, and they all work wonders next to each other. There were, of course, a handful of tracks new to me that made me gasp with delight (Untold’s brilliant “Come Follow We”), but this is not a mix that teaches you a history lesson or unearths lost gems. This is a snapshot of the present, a mix of what you want to hear right now, and a really great one at that.

Fred P — Wunderkind Mix
Coming from the tri-state area, I have to say it’s been a great couple years for house music in our region. Not only am I buying more domestic records, but the spotlight has been firmly focused on the New York sound orbiting around Underground Quality. Fred P, aka Black Jazz Consortium, has been a breakout star with his emotive productions and subterranean DJ sets, and this mix for Wunderkind was a standout. His recent appearance at Sunday Best is sure to remain a summer highlight in my mind, so if you’ve yet to get hip to Fred, this would be a good place to start.

Appleblim — Fabric Promo Mix
Since Skull Disco’s unfortunate demise, Appleblim has decided to step back from the mixing desk and become more of an all-important curator for the burgeoning UK scene. He still appears in co-production with friends, but none would doubt that his most important contribution at the moment is his label Apple Pips and his killer DJ sets, of which this promo mix for Fabric is one. Highlighting upcoming Pips releases from Joe, Al Tourettes and Greena, as well as recent favorites from Scuba and Addison Groove, this mix is a perfect statement of the many shapes “dubstep” has taken in early 2010.

FACT 150: Marcel Dettmann
It would be hard to argue that Marcel Dettmann’s Berghain 02 is not one of the most important mix CDs of the past five years, but most of us realize that it’s not perfect. Its incorporation of older tunes, while applause worthy, is still a little jarring. He’s only improved as a DJ though, and FACT’s 150th mix is the best set I’ve heard from him yet. Berghain style techno may be, to some, yesterday’s news, but Dettmann proves he’s more vital than ever, combining vintage Drexciyan electro and Aphex Twin productions with recent hits from Morphosis and Redshape to emerge with a set of truly timeless techno.

RA.188: Terre Thaemlitz
Yes, another RA cast. This one’s much different though, as we’re treated to an hour and a half of blissful electroacoustic ambiance courtesy of the peerless Terre Thaemlitz. Plenty of her own tunes feature, sitting with Oval and Michael Nesmith for a beautiful set that might not be for everyone, but endears itself to those who let it in. The climax has to be the exclusive DJ Sprinkles edit of Depeche Mode’s 1986 Martin Gore-sung masterpiece “World Full of Nothing,” extending to a repetitive, serene ten minutes.

Talking Shopcast 07: Szare
At first I was unsure about including one of LWE’s podcasts, but I would be remiss if I didn’t at least acknowledge what I think was a stunning set of ‘casts. One of the best for me was the blistering Talking Shopcast live set from Szare, aka 19.26.1.18.5. Featuring dark, swinging cuts from his Horizontal Ground records as well as some unreleased tunes, it shows Szare to be a very promising young talent whose take on techno is both classically based and relentlessly futuristic. Tracks from Actress, Dettmann and David Bowie only make things better.

It’s a funny thing about albums: despite having the odds stacked harrowingly against them, they’re still being made. Across all contemporary genres, the mp3 has chipped away at the album as a cohesive unit, as iTunes and its ilk have allowed listeners to snag the one or two cuts they want without having to fork over for all ten or twelve. As a lifelong record obsessive, I see the deluding of the album as an affront to an art form. But as a pragmatist and a dance music fan, I see a silver lining. Traditionally, albums by dance music producers kind of royally suck: they’re typically too long, too scatterbrained, and too indulgent to justify buying or recommending. What DJ or fan hasn’t wished he could cop the one or two quality dance floor cuts and leave all the noodly home-listening tracks at the shop?

So in the last six months, why have I, in my capacity as a dance music writer, been pitching reviews of dance albums week in and week out? I think it’s because I’ve noticed something funny happening with dance music albums. I still hear plenty of albums that should have been singles, but I’m hearing more and more that actually deserve 80 of my minutes. The best of them aren’t the work of producers who think themselves brilliant enough to conquer new tempos and aesthetics; rather, they’re the result of producers honing their craft and digging deeper. After listening to one of these albums, you know its producer better than you did before, and you get the sense that its producer knows himself a bit better as well. Here are five of my favorite full-lengths from the first six months of 2010. (Due to the exceedingly strong field, my list is hardly definitive. And to make my process easier I disqualified from this list two long-form releases — Tin Man’s Scared and Tevo Howard’s Crystal Republic — as it’s unclear whether they’re truly albums. Both deserve mention for being as excellent as any of what I’ve listed below.)

Actress, Splazsh [Honest Jon's Records] (buy)
Like Burial, Actress productions sounds found rather than made. And what’s so brilliant about Splazsh is how immersive, inventive, and colorful Actress has made the alternate universe where all this music comes from. It’s a place both futuristic and vaguely nostalgic, where house, techno, and bass are just shades of the same photons. Sinking your teeth into this song cycle feels a bit like using the Subtle Knife from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy to peel open a window into an overlapping dimension: something here is deliciously off about this place, but once you climb into the sunshine, you realize you’re still on solid ground.

Aybee, Ancient Tones [Further Records] (buy)
By far the biggest news story in America this year — the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico — was the result of an oil company drilling deeper than anyone had ever drilled before. Aybee went quite a few miles below the surface on this spring’s Ancient Tones as well, but aside from blowing up a bunch of people’s brains on this cassette-only top kill, I see no sign of a catastrophe. Mr. Deepblak’s grandest statement to date, moving from ambient sludge-house to jazzy late night techno. At least as trippy as the tubeworms chilling beneath the Gulf spill, this record must be heard to be believed. Careful not to get the bends on your way up.

Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma [Warp Records] (buy)
FlyLo’s kind of been the Velvet Underground of British bass circles: every teenager who heard Los Angeles after a couple spliffs, it seems, eventually put out a record on Hyperdub. The scion of LA’s woozy beatsmiths has finally made an album as astounding as half the people he inspired. Though its mood vacillates between high and hungover, Cosmogramma possesses a kind of mystical focus, finding harmony between musical complexity with general insanity. Surprising for a producer who always sounds like he’s using more footnotes than a David Foster Wallace novel, I’m finally following Flying Lotus’ thought, and what sweet logic he’s working with.

Peter Van Hoesen, Entropic City [Time To Express] (buy)
It’s been awhile since I heard a techno album that properly resembles Fritz Lang’s Metropolis; scrappily intriguing, bare-bones, and more than a bit violent, the genre in general seems to have taken a marked turn toward Reservoir Dogs. But Entropic City takes me there. Stately yet forceful, mechanical yet gorgeous, heavy on the low-end but compositionally lithe, PvH’s first masterwork (among what will hopefully be many) casts underground sounds with the detail and brashness of far bigger budgets. I get the sense that this attention to craft, not to mention the Hose’s flair for storytelling, will keep this future vision tantalizing for years to come.

Scuba, Triangulation [Hotflush Recordings] (buy)
Paul Rose likes wearing a couple of hats at once: his Hotflush imprint sports a sub-label for each conceivable iteration of its sound, and he’ll be pitting two of his aliases against each other in a back-to-back set at this year’s Labyrinth festival. Frankly, I find this all kind of silly in light of Triangulation, where Rose managed to pull off everything that’s happening in bass music right now in a single, unified set of tracks. On paper, the record does everything shitty dance records do — excursions into more esoteric tempos, emo guitars, etc. — but wins the day by refusing to succumb to mediocrity. Rose doesn’t just love Roska and dBridge; he can roll with those guys, all while sounding like Scuba. It’s the most accomplished and accessible LP on this list, and I’m somewhat befuddled as to why it hasn’t crossed over yet.

[Time To Express]

If you’ve followed this website even casually, it won’t stun you to read that I consider Entropic City an exemplary album from one of the most vital voices in techno today. LWE dubbed Brussels’ Peter Van Hoesen one of 2008′s “Breakout Artists” and, for his lengthy run of singles last year, we heralded him as one of five “Artists Who Defined 2009.” With quicksilver bass lines coursing beneath their rough, brambly surfaces, Van Hoesen’s shadowy warehouse tracks have long capitalized on an air of urban dystopia. The ten tracks grouped here, though, show off the producer’s experience in sound design better than ever, and the neglected Gotham skylines and abandoned, lightless interiors evoked prove vivid sonic descriptions of the title chosen for his first album under his own name (though the producer seems to have additionally mined the less figurative, thermodynamic definition for inspiration).

From the drawn-out freight elevator descent of “Intro Entropy” — ominous with creaks, lurches, and rumbling, unabated vibrations — the album’s sixty-minute immersion in a focused template of post-industrial sounds leaves an undeniable impression of setting. It’s a record constructed of asphalt and rebar, its surfaces marred by rust, grime, peeling paint, and water damage. Van Hoesen has spoken before of an added layer of “dirt” used to texture his tracks, but here that layer has been promoted from its adjunct position to drive the style and character of an album that sounds just as its cover looks. The low-BPM-count “Republic” is heavy with guttural, almost animal groans, scissoring machine noises, and corroded metallic melodies, playing like a panning shot of some neglected refinery. It’s evocative and easy to get lost in. Properly head-swimming on a good set of headphones, “Testing a Simulacrum” teems with a multitude of grainy audio artifacts uncertain but familiar. A heavy, determined beat pulses all the while, but as though emanating from somewhere off in the distance.

While the album can absolutely claim a cohesive mood, variation isn’t abandoned as a priority. The airy, upbeat “Dystopian Romance” doesn’t immediately announce itself as a Van Hoesen creation — if it weren’t for that signature bass work, anyway. “Colony/Return of the Object” recalls last year’s “Resol” with a foray into anxious dubstep and jungle territory. And on “Terminal,” ravey, distress-signal keys burst through the match-strike percussion and dual bass lines. Even the grim industrial drone and tension-in-traction of “Closing The Distance/Toy Universe” eventually emits flickers of silver dub chords and LED blips of melody.

And, of course, there are pure warehouse “tracks” of clenched-jaw intensity. Van Hoesen’s perceptive sequencing gradually builds to a back-half heavy with most of the record’s biggest splashes. The record’s finest standalone track, “Strip It, Boost It,” is nearly anthemic. The steely hi-hats scrapes, gaping bass yawns, bent-spring twangs, jacking hand claps, and martial kick drums are typical ingredients in the producers’ work, but there’s a rare instability to their combination that’s exhilarating as the track seems perpetually on the verge of veering off the rhythmic grid. It’s followed by “Quartz #1,” a breathless race of syncopated shakers and a strobing kick, with some roller coaster EQ’ing to place it resolutely in the club, where this album’s more vigorous moments will doubtless figure memorably in the months to come. But even without the benefit of experiencing any of its tracks played through a high-end sound system at peak time, I have no hesitation saying that Entropic City is the finest techno album to come along in recent memory, and may prove to be the album distillation of a whole scene. And, to be sure, it’s secured Peter Van Hoesen a 2010 to match his last two celebrated years.