- Lately, the intersections between hardcore, jungle and techno have been navigated with ease by disparate British producers, but not exclusively so. The French label Brothers From Different Mothers has also gone deep on the rhythmic bends of those soundsystem hybrids. J-Zbel explored such crossovers with articulate enthusiasm, while others have made passing gestures to the breakbeats (The Pilotwings' "Congo Libre") and gnarled surfaces ("Sonar System" by Basses Terres and Fugal) that emerge from splicing hardcore's DNA.
Recent BFDM signee DJ Normal 4, AKA Tim Schumacher, coats the Mental Command Terror in translucent slime, a smoothness that comes from Schumacher's aqueous production and the merging of complementary ideas. The slosh of rhythms in "Transcendental Training Tactics" recalls early Wax Doctor and 2 Bad Mice, but there's no mistaking that track or "Disillusion Pyramid" for purist throwbacks. On top of the swishes of hydraulic motion that suggest modernity, Mental Command Terror also includes contemporary club sounds. Swimming with synths chords and conga strikes, "Disillusion Pyramid," featuring Rasputin, has scents of deep house and Jam City's steeliness. These are popular routes these days, but DJ Normal 4 is an excellent tour guide.
TracklistA Transcendental Training Tactics
B Disillusion Pyramid feat. Rasputin