Stefan Vincent – Conflate EP

I am a sucker for carefully crafted arpeggios. Endless repetition that never repeats hooked me from an early age on my pianola and to this day remains a staple in my piano improvisations and compositions. It’s no wonder my ears are on Dutch Techno producer Stefan Vincent and his latest release on the ever-rising Balans label. Vincent’s exploration of cyclical time signatures on his four-tracker Conflate EP, makes an impressive mark. He gives us two surges of undulating arpeggio patterns with Conflate Four and Conflate Five, reminiscent of that Jeff Mills ground-breaker, Growth (Axis 10), but with a lighter, more mournful feel. The frenetic swirls of peppered melodies coupled with a driving crisp hat and kick, will easily lift up, or drop down, any Techno set, yet could find a place within a more minimal,
Ambient collection. Fool Me Again, the shorter track on the A side, gives us a taste of electronic pointillism whilst Welder on the flip, warms the palate with full, yet slightly distorted sweeping pads. This EP certainly honours Balans’ philosophy of pure, honest Techno and I will be playing it … a lot!
This release is available to,preview and purchase HERE:
Stanislav Tolkachev – Depth of Light
There is nothing grey about the fourth release in this series: Ukranian photographer and Techno producer Stanislav Tolkachev leaves no room for confusion with this cracking release. Grey Series 04 “Depth of Light” serves up five distinct Techno creations, but one in particular Like a Cat’s Shadow, brings the essence of raw Techno straight to the floor with a booming kick and stabs of sharp plucked strings – easily a classic in the making. It is followed on the A side by another crisp stomper, Break Something That Breaks You, and you’d be forgiven for thinking such instructions were given to a frenzied cellist. The EP opens with Depth of Light which gets right into the analogue synth squelches we all know and love, whilst the B side tracks No Home No Flag and Don’t Shit On Your Own Doorstep are
as dark and as deep as it gets. I am not
exaggerating when I say this EP makes my skin tingle. Tokachev describes his music as exploring the “darker, surreal fringes of electronic music in its purest, rawest state”. If you check out his website www.randomnide.com, which also features plenty of unreleased material, and stunning photography, you’ll get an idea of the extraordinary depth of talent this man has to offer.
This release is available to preview/purchase HERE:
Elizabeth Merrick-Jefferson “Urban Off Road”
This lady is forging a bold high road in Detroit with this brilliant and unique release. A cascade of frenetic synthesisers over dark rumbling acid lines and rolling drums are subtly enhanced with delicate vibes and harp melodies, that leave you feeling you’ve just sampled a modern Techno symphony. Go Home owns the A side with John Kronk and Astronomical Twilight airing on the flip. It’s magic from cover to cover and definitely worth the ride.
This release is available to preview/purchase HERE:
Mark Broom – Two

UK’s Mark Broom, one of the world’s most prolific Techno producers, has graced the Token label with a beautifully dark ambient production that is given a gutsy makeover in the Syntax Interpretation on the B side. It’s a perfect duo and an essential purchase.
This release is available to preview/purchase HERE: