- Another astringent release from Dusseldorf’s Level Records, an underexposed label that’s established a stripped but moody aesthetic over ten releases from producers including Oliver Hacke and Anders Ilar. Level are celebrating their jubilee with a set of three 12” vinyls, of which this is number two. The first instalment, released in September, was a collection of sparse, intracontinental house tracks from Marcin Czubala, Moscow based bVoice und kHz and Anders Ilar. This volume is more intercontinental, featuring four artists from different corners of the known and lesser known experimental techno world, redrawing the connections between Europe, South America and Japan.
The first side is made up of gently unfolding, mid-tempo lushness from Hungarian Ferenc Vaspoeri, and a creeping shuffler from Japanese artist Hidenobu Ito. Snippets and fragments are laid in clicks’n’cuts style and distended vibro-swooshes waft through the loose structure of ‘Red’, probably the nicest of the four tracks here. The b-side opener is a standard cut from Dusseldorf local Antonelli Electr: electroish house.
The last track, ‘Voltage,’ is an alarming piece from Fax of Mexico (Traum, Staticdiscos). But whether the track is good or bad (for the record, it’s detailed, with warm guitar melodies and a clipped maraca rhythm) is overshadowed by a certain bleep every second bar – unfortunately, it’s the same sound that lets you know you've been listening to a sample for thirty seconds on Boomkat. A disappointing end to what’s otherwise shaping up to be a not too shabby trilogy.
TracklistA1 Ferenc Vaspoeri - Prestige
A2 Hidenobu Ito - Red
B1 Antonelli Electr. - Materialized
B2 Fax - Voltage