Planet Rhythm レコード& CD

Review: Matrixxman has spent much of his career collaborating with others, primarily like-minded producer Vin Sol. Here, he switches focus, joining forces with Beat Pharmacy man Brendon "Echologist" Moeller to deliver an eight-track assault of late night techno excursions. Hugely atmospheric - a by-product of both their selected sounds, and the trippy way in which the collection has been mixed down - the double-pack features acid-flecked hypnotism, balls-out early morning stompers, dubbed-out rollers, L.I.E.S style industrial crustiness, and the kind of gently psychedelic fare that would once have been described as "intelligent techno". In other words, the Black & White EP is a rock solid collection of dancefloor-ready techno cuts that touches on a variety of moods and sub-genres.

Review: You know what you're going to get from Planet Rhythm: banging techno that is made like it used to be. The eponymous production outfit is behind this latest offering and opener '90's Acidcore' is perfectly summed up by its title: heavy drums, manic acid, and scintillating percussion. 'Impulsive Mass' is more frosty, panel-beating techno brutalism and 'Tribal Ritual' throws it back to the golden era of video game soundtracks like Wipeout. Just for funsies, 'Like The Heaven' chucks some dusty breakbeats into the mix as well as the acid and steel percussion.

Review: The latest instalment in Planet Rhythm's series of limited-edition EPs arrives with no information whatsoever, meaning that the artist behind it has decided (for now, at least) to remain anonymous. What we can tell you, though, is that the four tracks on offer deliver breathlessly heavy, raw, and no-holds-barred techno of the sort that may have emerged from the Netherlands and Belgium in the early 90s. Check first opener 'Attitude Era', where UK rave style breakbeats and hip-hop samples usher in a pounding beat, doom-laden bassline and razor-sharp acid tweakery, before admiring the locked-in acid techno hypnotism of 'Rampage'. Over on side B, 'Berlin Platz' sees the mystery producer add melancholic melodic motifs to another blistering beat, while 'Blade Core' is a twisted, rap-sampling stomper smothered in trippy electronics.

Notes: High quality printed Planet Rhythm slipmat.