- Like a baseball bat to the brain, Mike Dehnert's music is an intense physical experience. The Berlin-based producer's records for his Fachwerk label combine classic techno styles with a direct attitude and the kind of harder-edged outlook that's all too rare. Spread across three untitled tracks, Dico doesn't exactly deviate from Mike's recognisable sound, but it does contain a few surprises. Chief among these is the dense glitchy percussion of the first A-side track, which—while not a direct reference to contemporary minimal—shows that like "MD2," Dehnert does not solely favour a straight down-the-middle approach. That said, when the heavy beats and resonating riffs kick in, there can be no doubt who's behind this record.
The second A-side cut features more variations on the Dehnert theme, including wired bleeps and a wall of grating percussion followed by pitch-shifting hats. Once again, his trademark climaxing chords kick in midway through. The sole B-side sees Mike revert to type, but it's also the most effective track here. Heavy claps sweep overh a prowling bass embedded with beads of acid, while the hypnotic chords start the ascent to its denouement. However, just as it seems to be heading to an inevitable finale, even more dramatic chords are dropped and the bass lets off a groaning shudder, as if it can't take the intensity. Control is quickly regained though, and the master builder completes the upwards trajectory with ease.
Tracklist A1 Untitled
A2 Untitled
B1 Untitled