Civil Defence Programme / Sleeparchive - ZZZ 011

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  • Sleeparchive's connection to post-industrial music isn't obvious in his best-known work. Much of the techno on his eponymous label is about as sleek and minimal as dance music gets, with a hi-fi, forward-facing aesthetic that doesn't appear to have much to do with Skinny Puppy or Front Line Assembly. But look into some of the German's other aliases (Skanfrom being the best example), and you'll find plenty of throwback sounds. Sleeparchive's latest 12-inch is one of the few on his label to overtly show these influences. Two EBM-sounding tracks as Civil Defence Programme, one of Sleeparchive's lesser-used monikers, sit on the A-side. Both are brash and full of emotion, but the tension built by the steady groove of "Assembly Line Work" makes it the highlight. It's followed by two vintage Sleeparchive tracks. Recent releases for labels like Repitch and Tresor have featured a raw, abrasive sound, but this is a welcomed return to something deeper and trippier. The bleeping "Open Cubes" feels like it could've been an outtake from Sleeparchive classics like Hospital Tracks or Radio Transmission, which is no bad thing. "Painting Number 7" is a lot slower and less likely to be played in clubs, but like the rest of the side (which also includes the hazy "Fifty Fences (Live)" and a nifty locked groove) it's a reminder of just how good Sleeparchive in minimal mode can be.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Civil Defence Programme - The Comfort Of Things A2 Civil Defence Programme - Assembly Line Work B1 Sleeparchive - Incomplete Open Cubes B2 Sleeparchive - Painting Number 7 B3 Sleeparchive - Fifty Fences (Live)
RA