- Alessandro Crimi is young and Swiss. Well, sort of Swiss - he grew up there but was originally Austrian. In any case I want to know what they're putting in the water over there because it seems bizarre that such a small country can have so many techno producers. Maybe one of the banks has a secret stash of Nazi analog synths or something.
I can't speculate any more on Alessandro's backstory but I can reasonably guess that he's rather fond of his Basic Channel because that is clearly the sonic template for this release. And, as influences go, you can do a lot worse than Basic Channel. The heavy kicks, repetitive structure and deep bassline will delight the listener in the same way those classic tracks did. It is, of course, derivative, but it's unlikely that dancers will stop in their tracks and go, "Hang on a minute this sounds a bit like 'Quadrant', I think I'll leave now". As a functional entity then, this gets top marks.
On the flipside, the Chaton remix is a more modern, digital, take on that dub techno template. As such it has both the strengths and weaknesses that this implies - the percussion is perkier and funkier, but the sparser, drier sound lacks some of the atmosphere and oppressive forcefulness of the original. I can see why DJs such as Ripperton are charting this as it is a good fit with much of this season's techno, but I'll admit to finding it lacking in distinctiveness despite the strong bassline.
Dub techno enthusiasts should pick this up for the original, and fans of bassy minimal will like the remix. It's a decent, solid release, but it'd be nice to see a little more inspiration here.
TracklistA Dubweiser
B Dubweiser (Chaton - Dubwise Mix)