- Across three vinyl-only white labels, Darko Esser's Tripeo project has offered a modern, Teutonic take on Robert Hood minimalism—sparse tracks that call for a big system and a late hour to really reveal themselves. Darko Esser's work as Tripeo has mined a, well, trippier brand of techno, all swirling synth lines bubbling through pumping drums. Even by the series' spaced-out standards, though, Fourth Trip is a journey down the rabbit hole.
Both sides centre on riffs that seem to stretch disorientingly beyond their drum loops, so you're never quite sure exactly where you are in the track. "Untitled #7"'s booming kicks just about win their battle to keep the synths from floating off the beat completely, but when twin arpeggios start to mesh together it's a close-run thing. "Untitled #8" is more straightforward, its Dettman-esque stabs unfurling over pops and clanks that lock into a militaristic stomp. Esser's deftest trick on Fourth Trip, as with the rest of the Tripeo series, is crafting something functional that ripples with personality.
Tracklist A Untitled #7
B Untitled #8