[Time to Express] (download)

Free. In whatever digital format you like. Possibilities like these make me question the very purpose of reviewing such a release. “Is this record good enough for me to shell out the money to buy it?” LWE generally hope to provide such answers. But here you’re being treated by Peter Van Hoesen to three reworks of his tunes, as well as a new one, for no cost at all. So whether I’m telling you if this release is worth your time, giving Van Hoesen a thumbs up or simply sharing my thoughts on a new record, you, dear reader, should be picking this one up and making your own judgments even if I determined it were terrible. But being the work of Van Hoesen, it most certainly is not.

While some techno record’s names tend to be rather arbitrary, Variable Parts is a more than apt name for this remix heavy release. A teaser (of sorts) for Van Hoesen’s upcoming album, Entropic City, Variable Parts contains lots of good techno but no real “Attribute One”-sized anthems. Which is just fine; those may well arrive with the original forms of these tracks. First up is the “Casual Reconstruction” of hit “Face Of Smoke,” wherein the Brussels-based producer tones back the ferocity of the original for a more atmospheric trip through his hazy soundscapes. Hints of the original’s hard-hitting riff materialize and disintegrate while the “Entropic Dub” of upcoming “Strip It Boost It” ups the energy with swinging hi-hats and square-pulse jabs. Up next is the “Markov Layout” of “Terminal,” named after the famous Markov Chains used nearly everywhere but of particular importance to PVH in statistics and thermodynamics. Drones play out below the thick mélange of bass and percussion, leading into the beatless experimentation of “Second Law.” Referencing the second law of thermodynamics (the one concerning, of course, entropy), “Second Law”‘s rumbling thunderstorm background and odd white noise flickers are foreboding to say the least; one hopes it signals the sort of darkness and immaculate production we can expect on Entropic City.

[Time To Express]

Whether by coincidence or design, Peter Van Hoesen seemed blessed with good timing in 2008. After spending the better part of the decade producing as Object and Vanno to little fanfare, the Belgian producer suddenly found an enthusiastic audience for the brawny techno cuts released under his own name on his own label, Time to Express, and Lan Music. Berghain residents Ben Klock, Marcel Dettmann and Norman Nodge were all noted fans, the audiences they decimated with his tracks were just as keen, and he easily topped LWE’s breakout artists list. Van Hoesen seems poised to leave his mark on 2009 as well, starting with the “Attribute One EP.”

At surface level Van Hoesen’s tracks appear rendered with an industrial sized brush, their broad shouldered rhythms carrying gut-busting bass lines. Yet further investigation exposes finer details that are the legacy of Van Hoesen’s time as a sound designer. Such is the case with “Attribute One,” whose resonating synth line hints at harboring more dimensions in its single-minded girth. Indeed, sharper crystalline melodies eventually claw their way to the forefront apace with twitchy minutiae to add bite to blunt force. MLZ’s rendition, however, bares its teeth from the start. Its colorless synth barrage at Gatling gun speeds and belching acid bass line imagine a scuzzy war machine mowing down all in its path. Van Hoesen’s “Above 90″ is equally stomping, but the sound design surrounding its thundering riff is the main attraction. Noises slither by, churn with the tide, hiss and gurgle and generally create an apocalyptic environment, only a thin suggestion of tone color lining from the horizon. Peter Van Hoesen and Time To Express are more than punching their weight and the “Attribute One EP” is a mighty first blow in the side of 2009.

[Time To Express]

Witness the power of the techno blogosphere: After seven years of releasing music as Object, Vanno and now his own name, Belgian producer and DJ Peter Van Hoesen has recently seen a sharp uptick in his stock. His contribution to Modyfier’s Process series (of which I am an alumnus) grabbed quite few ears with its proto-techno selection, not least of which belonged to the mnml ssgs crew. Add the anointing measure of a Phil Sherburne’s remix of “L.O.C.,” and Hoesen’s long journey through glitchy, experimental sounds seems to have finally reached a summit of recognition. With my peers on the record and the alluring bonus of Norman Nodge’s first remix, the timing seems right to check out Hoesen’s latest, the “Trusted EP.”

Whereas “L.O.C.” was too thin and mincing for my tastes, Hoesen’s latest cuts derive their strength from bass bins for a beefier sound. Like an idling Mack truck, “New Territory” grumbles in off-kilter rhythms as anxious tones swoop down into the fray. Its ambitious sound design utilizes every spare inch of stereo headspace, but its timid percussive shuffle leaves the track a bit shy for dance floor use. Considerably more mobile, “Trusted” exists for Berghain-like settings; pitting dungeon bass lines against a rising tide of airy pitches and Detroit-influenced stabs, Hoesen’s deft arrangement leaves audiences the winners. The most straightforward selection comes from Mr. Nodge, who pushes much of the bass underground and unties tangled melodic wisps to glide among skittering, delayed rhythms and pointed percussion (see also: Shackleton). Recent hype aside, PVH’s latest satisfies and plays a gracious host to Berghain’s favorite lawyer.