Uretran - At The Rotary Club

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  • Uretran is the latest alias of Glasgow's Al Matthews, who has explored techno's rawer fringes through names like Element Abuse, Smear and more recently Bleaching Agent—not to mention the collaborative projects Forward Strategy Group and the soon-to-be-shuttered Blacknecks. Here on the four-track At The Rotary Club, the first release on the new Leeds label Prole Beat Records, he turns in two crispy 4/4 cuts that are a tad tamer than the bruising stuff he usually puts out, but they're just as intriguing and even more catchy. The simmering title track is primed for DJs who like long mixes. It keeps things restrained across its more than eight-minute length, with no-frills drums and chugging, minor-key chords that add a poignant touch as they grow longer and sharper. "1000AD," the record's highlight, at first seems to follow a similar trajectory as it stirs in some barely-there choral reverb. But then it bursts into a middle section highlighted by an exuberant, organ-like lead, whose occasional sliding notes and key changes give the track a strangely blissful, carnival-esque vibe. Kommune1's remix of "At The Rotary Club" is faster and sleeker as it puts bits of the original's chords lower in the mix with rushing drums. It's also more dynamic, thanks to some neatly placed vocalizations (a common feature in Kommune1's work). But it would be better off without all that atmospheric whooshing. Sunil Sharpe's percussive take on "1000AD" is more deranged, where parts of the Uretran's quirky lead come chopped up and re-looped. With a few wailing sirens and plenty of sinister, growling textures, it's something for more extreme sets.
  • Tracklist
      A1 At The Rotary Club A2 At The Rotary Club (Kommune1 Remix) B1 1000AD B2 1000AD (Sunil Sharpe Remix)
RA