Alex Cortex - Hyperfocus

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  • Prolific techno producer Alexander Neumann returns here for his fourth outing on Berlin's Killekill label (if you include his contribution to the Killekill House Trax sub-label, that is). Past releases for the imprint—2011's Boldskool, last year's RAW—seemed intent on showcasing Cortex's considerable range: frenetic acid hardcore, soulful Detroit fare and twitchy minimal techno were all covered across the two platters. By contrast, Hyperfocus feels rather, well, focussed. Neumann's originals echo the tunnel-vision inclinations and chunky, rather stiff grooves of his recent Have Liveset Will Travel single for Skudge Presents. "Hyperfocus" takes the style to brash extremes, pairing trance-worthy synth licks with lumbering, gravelly kicks. There's very little groove or propulsion, just a sort of grim trudge. "By Force Of Attrition" is better; yes, the groove is similarly weighty, but it's overlaid with forlorn synth clouds that lend it an oddly absent feel, as if the body's dancing but the mind is somewhere else entirely. Finally, Sweden's Skudge manage to inject some much-needed funk into "Hyperfocus" by doing little more than paring the whole thing back and adding some spice to the percussion.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Hyperfocus A2 Force Of Attrition B Hyperfocus (Skudge Remix)
RA