72 Bridges EP vinyl

Fledgling UK techno imprint Tabernacle heads to Berlin for their third release, inviting Xenogears aka The Analogue Cops to drop four tracks of raw, sometimes harsh, sometimes odd but always unadulterated machine funk. There's a lazy swagger to the opening of "crc04" that grabs you as soon as the heavy lines of synths drop over the stuttering drum machine crunch. It's the mid section crescendo of piercing sonics and crashing layers of percussion that add that extra layer of overwhelming sensory menace. In contrast, "Mino" ditches the menace for a smoother retro Detroit electro flex reminiscent of vintage Model 500, right up to the upwards sci fi synth freakery. The B Side opens with the sonic booms of "Livex15" throwing out elastic synth swirls over a big rusted beat, as industrial pressure grows beneath with ominous intent. In a word, magnificent! This excellent and rather limited release - only 200 copies pressed up - finishes on pulsing and quirky form with the subaqueous techno funk thrust of "Dreamsequence."