- Field Records, a limited-edition 12-inch label with an increasingly prolific mix series, propagates an excellently broad definition of techno: their releases draw from an exciting crop of known and relatively unknown continental beatsmiths, with results that sometimes come from surprisingly far outside the box. That's mostly the case with the sixth 12-inch in the series, a set that is quite a bit more subversive and varied than it may appear at its onset.
Delta Funktionen's "Work" is up first, and though basically faultless, the track doesn't depart much from the pressure-cooker techno for which he's known. Impeccably produced but a bit workmanlike and detached, the track lacks the specialness of what Field has paired it with. Rod, the ascendant new alias of Dutch techno producer Benny Rodrigues, does a whole lot with just a few sounds: pitched hand-drumming runs amok over a glorious mess of tempo-drifting hi-hats, creating a wily and surprisingly intense moment. Mark Du Monsch dollops some voguing pop into his techno on "L'Argent," and while the juxtaposition of chilly alien soundscapes with a distinctly feathered-hair vibe can be jarring, it mostly works. Roberto Auser rounds out the collection with something closer to a synthesizer composition than a dance track, one likely to either kick off or close out a DJ set containing the sort of material found elsewhere on this 12-inch.
Tracklist A1 Delta Funktionen - Work
A2 ROD - MLMKFR
B1 Mark Du Mosch - L'Argeant
B2 Roberto Auser - Fatal Attraction