Terrence Dixon - Badge Of Honor

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  • Though he never really went away, Terrence Dixon's recent flurry of activity must qualify as some sort of come back, given the revival of his floor-focused Population One alias and last year's decade-late sequel to From The Far Future. That record saw the Detroit vet still at the top of his game, as bleeding-edge as he'd ever been. Badge Of Honor sails in just a year later, this time on UK outfit Surface, and shows Dixon adopting a very specific strain of electro-informed techno. Dixon's adventurous tendencies here are embedded in more subtle ways than on Far From The Future Vol.2. It's less structured than that LP, and easier to take in piece-by-piece than all at once. The naval theme of the track titles ("High Current," "Ocean To Sea," "The Atlantic") crosses over into the music itself, with topsy-turvy basslines that emulate a turbulent sea ("Deploy"), sounds that imitate sonar pings ("Out Of Time") and other such aquatic touches. Comparisons to Drexciya seem obvious, but the connection is more spiritual than concrete. With its emphasis on analog sounds, Badge Of Honor sounds retro, but in a way that feels more reverent than nostalgic. It could easily be an unearthed gem from the mid-'90s. Dixon's work has a richness many similar artists would have trouble tapping into. This is a man who intimately knows his equipment. We get deft synth work ("The Atlantic") as well as more trippy moments ("Light Years," which sounds like it's perpetually falling apart), offering some meaty detail below the surface-level coat of grit. All of these qualities lend the LP a timeless feeling, as if it were encased in amber. For that reason, Badge Of Honor doesn't feel as revelatory as From The Far Future Part 2. In his review of that album, Todd Burns said that "a large portion of the tracks... end exactly where they started." That's one thing that hasn't changed here. If you're looking for some straight-shooting Detroit techno, then Badge Of Honor's choppy waters are well worth navigating.
  • Tracklist
      01. Operation Acoustic 02. Out Of Time 03. Incoming 04. Lock Out Chamber 05. High Current 06. Deploy 07. The Mission 08. Ships In Fog 09. Ocean To Sea 10. Space Probe 11. Light Years 12. The Atlantic 13. Radio Room 14. View From A Lighthouse 15. The Connection
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