- Lots of minimal techno tracks are clean and full of space, but there is another side to the genre that is all about murky, dark atmospheres. The A-side of this EP, ‘Akustik’ is one of these tracks. The two main elements are a top-end of stretched out sci-fi tones and drones reminiscent of Damian Schwartz or Butane, and a deep bass which bumps like crazy even though it’s submerged in a pool of mucky water. And that’s it really—a glide element and a groove element, a long thing and a short thing, which together rise and fall throughout the track to alternately claustrophobic and airy effect. It’s not the most ostentatious track ever, but it's rolling and atmospheric and that is what counts.
The b-side is slower and weirder. Here the elements are the now tired minimal gamelan sound and a big reverby noise which sounds like a power plant shutting down. There’s a big build a few minutes in which has a nice foreboding feel to it, but in the end you notice the failings of the track most of all: it lacks unity, it doesn’t really go anywhere and it doesn't groove.
Overall, the A-side makes this record. Even if you’re not a huge follower of Swedish techno, 'Akustik' is worth checking out. It's unique enough to fit into many kinds of sets and stand out as unusual.
TracklistA Akustik
B Ensemble