MATTIAS FRIDELL レコード& CD

Review: Swedish producers Alexander Johansson & Mattias Fridell get back to the drafting board - Blueprint Records - for a third release, following their 2023 EP 'Geometriska Strukturer' and the 'Marvatten' EP the year before. Active collaborators since the early 2000s, the pair have steadily contributed their precision-honed techno to labels such as Symbolism, Audio Assault, ARMS, XXX Records and H. Productions, alongside their own imprint, Lomsk, since 2022. Their latest 'Bentik Zone' comprises three hot, mode-choked techno tesla coils, themed after the topical Benthic zone: the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake or stream, where deep-sea crustacean dwellers known as benthos lurk.

Review: Alexander Johansson and Mattias Fridell deliver a stripped-back techno workout across four focused cuts. The A-side leads with a thundering rhythm section that drives forward with a sense of urgency that feels both raw and precise. The second track shifts gears slightly, folding intricate percussion into a rolling groove that keeps the energy simmering. On the reverse, the duo ventures into more atmospheric territory, layering subtle synth textures over a steady, hypnotic pulse. With its tight execution and unrelenting focus, this EP solidifies Johansson and Fridell place as stalwarts of the Swedish techno scene.