- With October being based in Bristol and John Osborn in Berlin, TANSTAAFL—the pair's outlet for analogue house and techno—is a neat symbol for the channel-hopping activity that has been animating the scene lately. Fortunately the fruits of their collaboration more than live up to expectations: though only three releases deep, TANSTAAFL is already a buy-on-sight proposition for anybody interested in trans-European body music of the highest pedigree. In fact, such is the label's early run of form, it would be almost impossible to top its previous offering—October's storming Planet of Minds—but the duo make a pretty good go of it here.
"Programmable Blood" eschews 4/4 in favour of a tightly syncopated electro thud that gradually cranks up the tension; midway through, crisp dub techno chords pull things in an unexpected direction in a manner which recalls Levon Vincent. The understated funk could be Vincent's, too—but the heady mix of soupy warehouse atmosphere and percussive muscle is October and John Osborn's alone. "Transcending Biology," meanwhile, supplies the bowel-quaking kick drum, but remains similarly diffident, its murky sci-fi stabs and agile, shuffling hi-hats rolling along in menacing fashion without resorting to stark tension-and-relief dynamics. The pair clearly have their eye on the bigger picture here—these tracks are lean peak-time facilitators, striking but not outspoken. With ideas this strong, that's all they need to be.
TracklistA Transcending Biology
B Programmable Blood