- Uplifting DIY techno from across the States.
- The first compilation from Oakland label Orbit's Spell is an inspiring look at DIY dance music scenes across the USA (with a brief sojourn to Copenhagen courtesy of Neri J). The sound leans towards techno, but rustic and homemade in feel. Highlights come from The Creatrix, whose "Gen-Log" is tumble-dryer techno full of discordant textures, 10th Letter's lovely Rhodes work on "Light Being," and Golden Donna's "Curtain Fall," with its jabbing bass notes and trigger-happy snares.
The most intriguing track comes from someone I had never heard of: Olympia, Washington's Military Bass. The alias feels fitting; the juddering crunch of "Skin Thickening Agent" sounds like tank treads rolling over coarse gravel. It's sludgy and incisive, yet it doesn't lean into the clichés of technoise that once defined this sector of underground dance music. Instead, Orbit's Spell Volume 1 presents something more spaced-out and melodic, even when it's heavy.
Tracklist01. The Creatrix - Gen-Log
02. Golden Donna - Curtain Fall
03. Liquid Asset - Maidenlair Acid
04. 10th Letter - Light Being
05. Military Bass - Skin Thickening Agent
06. Neri J - We Rave
07. 404 Not Found - Eat Half First