- For a while in 2010, Pattern was the brightest star in Tom Kerridge's sprawling constellation of labels. It eschewed the weirdness of Ramp, Brainmath et al in favour of a polychrome UK funky sound that produced a couple of bona fide anthems—most notably Breach's "Fatherless." The label has been mothballed since 2011—a press release for this single attributes this to "distributor issues" and "legal chats"—but it now returns promising to serve as the dance floor single-oriented arm of Ramp.
Thefft seems suited to the task. His two EPs to date have marked him out as a purveyor of snappy, smartly assembled UK techno, productions that are not quite radical but far from risk averse. PTN011 continues the trend. "There For Me" is pretty standard fare, featuring his usual booming kicks and exhaustive percussive detailing—though, chained to a 4/4 pulse, its syncopations lack spark. "Contextual," with its garage-derived swing and tightly marshalled chords, is more interesting. It restlessly evolves even by Thefft's standards, and while its ceaseless edits will likely induce dance floor dissonance as readily as delight, a pleasing dubwise weight keeps us from spinning out completely.
TracklistA There For Me
B Contextual