U.K. producer Matt O’Brien’s refreshingly sporadic Off-key Industries follows the label owner’s From the Periphery release from 2009 with a series of remixes that bring together some of the past and present leading lights of techno and house, and which in many ways neatly sum up O’Brien’s approach to music-making. When Josh Brent started to make his name during the mid to late-90′s as Schatrax, his atmospheric yet forceful grooves, inspired in equal measures by Detroit techno’s etherealness and the raw garage dubs of N.Y. house, were described as tech-house. Although that term has since been hijacked and now serves to describe either post-mnml mush or the overblown melodrama of C2, Brent rekindles the magic of his golden period with his rework of “Dodaso,” with a jacking rhythm and subsonic blips and bleeps permeating through a grainy bass.

O’Brien recruited another old schooler, Todd Sines aka .xtrax, to rework the track as well. Remaining true to his sparse ‘n’ squelchy trackiness, the sprinkling of piano keys is a pleasant surprise, but it ends up sounding strangely flat and underwhelming — possibly a consequence of appearing alongside Brent’s resonating timbre rather than a shortcoming on the part of Sines. KiNK is up next and it’s clear that he has spent a lot of time listening to producers like Dan Bell, Sines and even some of Dan Curtin’s early Purveyors of Fine Funk releases on Peacefrog, but somehow, his one-note bleeping paean to these artists sounds muted when it should swagger and slick when it should bristle with raw intent. The final contributor is The Subliminal Kid: if you haven’t checked his To the South release on Off-key Ltd. from last year, then shame on you. In the meantime, this version of “Blackwood Freestyle” provides more of the same breezy, atmospheric techno, with airy, filtered melodies accompanying a rolling, undulating groove. Simple, smart and like the rest of this EP’s highlights, timeless.

[Spectral Sound]

So far the partnership of Daso Franke and Pawas Gupta has proven fruitful. Beginning with their “Night Express EP” for Flash Recordings and continuing on “KKB,” the bubbling builder which stood tallest on the Spectral Sound “Dintf EP,” the pair has definitely shown artistic chemistry. But whereas previous collaborations were primed and ready to be deployed in the club, Daso and Pawas’ “Det” EP for Spectral Sound pulls back for a more introspective feel. Thankfully, that’s where one of British house/techno’s unsung heroes, Joshua Brent aka Schatrax comes in to coax the relaxed A side back onto the dance floor.

In spite of attentive, flick-of-the-wrist woodblock percussion, “Det”‘s main progression languidly winds its way to the forefront, slides down the scale and bend even further in a jaw-unhinging tonal yawn. It gradually firms up over the course of nine minutes and is generally quite easy on the ears, if not too easy and unwound. Schatrax, however, wastes no time in revving “Det” up while maintaining the shimmering appeal of the original, though its progression reflects upon itself as if trapped in a prism. This foments momentum and tension, aided handily by claps, rustling hi-hats and a solid kick. The digital version of the EP also includes Schatrax’s bonus beats, which reworks the percussion for a greater bounce and more room on either end for mixing. “Brazil to Detroit,” D&P’s second crack at things, is slightly livelier. Using a larger regiment of percussion, including 16th note snare taps and oddly timed knocks at the window, the tune attempts building a head of steam with a flagging minor melody at its core and is left louder, though not much further down the track. Although the EP is a great opportunity for Schatrax to reappear and “Det” could be stronger if blended with something more muscular, Daso and Pawas’ chemistry seems sedate this time around. Perhaps these well-traveled DJs need some shuteye.

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As a brief post-script I wanted to add that Daso’s “Pars Tensa,” the B side of his “Tinnitus” single for Connaisseur is a masterful blend of techno heartburn, the pleading strums of almost Flaminco flavored guitar strums/finger picking and a swinging house beat. In fact, James Kartsaklis selected it for his recently posted mix. Also, hello Pitchfork readers! Mr. Phil Sherburne offered some kind words for LWE in his Month in Techno column published today; coincidentally, we even share some subject matter. (post by Steve Mizek)