- It's not hard to tell that Ozka, AKA Belgian producer David Nizet, has been knocking around for a while. Indeed Hidden Roots takes its influence as much from the punishing techno Nizet was making as part of 6th Sense Approach during the mid-'90s as it does from dub or Detroit variants. It offers surprises at every turn. The title track is based on the kind of tooth-rattling, post-hardcore bassline that typified most of the catalogue on Reload—the label that 6th Sense Approach used to release on—but rather than pummeling the listener into submission, Nizet frames the bass amid an off-beat rhythm, spiky percussion and light, airy chords. A similar approach prevails on "Shown Patternz," with a menacing low end forming the backdrop for another rolling rhythm that doesn't kick in all the obvious places.
This idiosyncratic approach doesn't mean that Nizet isn't adept at creating streamlined dance floor techno: The repetitive, chord-heavy groove of "Intel Dub" is on a par with the hypnotic repetition of Dehnert, Lindau and Skudge, while Mowar's choice of remixer also enhances the EP's DJ appeal. Fellow Belgian Peter Van Hoesen's remix catalogue is becoming as impressive as his original productions, and his take on the title track is no exception. Straightforward yet devastatingly effective, a snarling industrial bass underpins a locked-on groove that filters and rolls in all the right places.
Tracklist A1 Hidden Roots
A2 Intel Dub
B1 Hidden Roots (Peter Van Hoesen Remix)
B2 Shown Patternz