- Archipel specialises in warm, funky minimal and techno. From it's humble beginnings as a digital-only imprint, Archipel has also been a breeding ground for young music-makers: Ryan Crosson's first ever release was on the label, as was Christian Dittman's. Jesse Somfay was there from the beginning too. In fact, so far, in their three years of existence, Archipel, along with its sub-label Kalimari Musique, has given a start to at least ten new producers.
Marc Neyen is now part of that list. The A-side of his debut 12-inch, ‘Mad Suit’, is an epic that has been a favourite set-closer for Archipel head Pheek of late. It's no wonder too, as it sounds like five tracks rolled into one. What begins as a clicky, off-kilter ambient piece that sounds like an excerpt from The Shining soundtrack soon leads into a myriad of assembled and disassembled sounds. Then the warped sub-bass fades, and a Detroit-esque techno bassline arrives, followed by twinkling trance-like sparks. All this is done very cohesively, the parts flowing together like separate streams making their way back into the main river until at the 11:59 mark, you wonder where the time went.
’Tree Litter’ on the flip is more of a slow builder. Beginning sparsely and atmospherically, it eventually evolves into a warm bleepy tech-houser, getting there on the backs of some ambient moody synths and some sad minor-key pads. Neyen still uses mostly hardware to produce his music, making for a cleaner, sharper precussive sound, and a classic techno feel overall.
As a bonus on the digital release, Pheek keeps to the old-school vibe with his rework of title track. Based around a grooving bassline, it's a more accessible housier sound that would work well in a dark, dingy backroom somewhere.
Neyen has jazz training, apparently, and it’s evident on this release, with both tracks owing a lot to the structure of the genre. It's a great release and another excellent producer debut for the Archipel trophy case.
TracklistA1 Mad Suit
B1 Tree Litter
Digital: Mad Suit (Pheek Tool Mix)