- Samaan's rugged, ornately produced techno is at its best when it throws caution to the wind. The cliché is appropriate for Apertures Of Adelaide, a record whose whipping pace feels elemental. Its opener, "Contra," is a ferocious track that snarls with the intensity of a prizefighting heavyweight: its contorting 303s twist through parched hi-hats and metallic handclaps, and the prickly melody fortifies its unsettling aura.
"Apertures Of Adelaide" triggers a similar fight-or-flight response. Its menacing acid phrases and jacking rhythm recall the spirit of Phuture's "Acid Tracks," but the track's rattling handclaps slap off any residual nostalgia. The Exaltics' remix of "Contra" does the sensible thing and dials down Samaan's hectic original, supplanting the complicated moving parts with a sleek Reese bassline, but it doesn't stray too far from the aggro aesthetic. The Phantom Planet Outlaws' remix of the same track scoops out its innards and turns it into a bleached acid workout whose squeaks and squeals echo the friction of a pivoting heel on a basketball court.
TracklistA1 Contra
A2 Apertures Of Adelaide
B1 Contra (The Exaltics Remix)
B2 Contra (Phantom Planet Outlaws Remix)