- Cologne resident Gabriel Ananda is a very talented man, surpassing Mr. Ripley tenfold, and his newest 12” is a fine piece of acetate. A lot of people talk the talk under their minimal mullets, but forget the Detroit Free Press, the future belongs to one man and his rhythm stick: Gabriel Ananda. ‘Miracel Whop’ is pure unfiltered Russian vodka for true techno heads, a dark EP, and one perhaps only truly understood on the dancefloor of DC-10 or Cocoon. Easyjet, here we come.
A1 ‘Miracel Whop’ arrives like a V8 narcotic: raw, hard and strong. The groove is key to a lot of minimal, but here it’s relevant as opposed to boring: this one packs more groove than James Brown freestyling naked. Ananda takes precious time with his productions and it shows: so many elements and neat touches carry it through flickering, spitting and dipping around nicely arranged samples and a lithe melody. Near its end it digs a little deeper: the cosmic electronic samples that you thought were just waiting for a big hook slowly corrode into the lead, by which time you've shed your inhibitions and are dancing like a twat. Write the name down now before you forget, or else be doomed to chance on it in three months on Ministry Of No Sound Semi-Erect Annual Vol. 77.
A2 ‘Leikau’ is more of a mind meld into what this producer thinks. Somewhat ‘special’ sounding and more for listening than dancing, the funny vocals and laughs show that Ananda can have a bit of fun production-wise.
B1 is what gyms should play loud on repeat for the fat folks. Kicking off quicker than the A1, this high-octane tech destroyer effortlessly slides into its groove with a biting build and bassline. All elements are precise and accurate here, the keys crunchy, the melody compact, the production no-frills. Then the ‘Doppelwhipper’ arrives with an immense build-up into the brunt of the track, which hurricanes along before easing out slowly with a ping-pong melody. Like Chicken Lips ‘He Not In’ or ‘Body Language’, the ‘drop’ is what makes it. Contender for best of the summer, alongside Heartthrob’s ‘Baby Kate’, Luciano played this at Fabric 19/08 and the crowd just… cheered. It was as if someone had shouted "free bar for ten minutes". This is so tight, most tracks played after it will sound shit. If you're into this, check out Hug ‘The Platform’ on K2.
Overall a big name producer comes up with the goods. ‘Doppelwhipper’ is the one that’ll get licensed tenfold, A1 is more for the heads who want something equally worthy but not played to death. Techno music at its best: hard, deep and German.