- Loop techno isn't widely loved outside of DJ circles, but anyone who has spent enough time listening to top-level techno selectors will have felt its power. Few would deny that the style's most energetic tunes came out in the '90s, but every now and then a modern-day producer delivers a banger that captures the intensity of the pre-2000s sound. Stephno, a young, Berlin-based Italian, is the producer this time around, launching his own SC.Records with the four-track Texture EP.
Each of Texture's tunes sound like hardware jams recorded on-the-fly, with plenty of subtle changes across each track. Only a few elements—kicks, basslines, short key riffs, hi-hats and the occasional clap—are used, but Stephno's nimble approach to structure keeps things dynamic. Take "Texture 003," where crunchy, out-of-time hi-hats arrive just before a kick drum returns after a long breakdown, only to disappear, along with a synth, once the beat returns, putting all the focus on the track's hammering groove. This crafty adding and subtracting makes "Texture 001" and "Texture 002" just as hard-hitting, with more slight-of-hand adjustments constantly tweaking the interplay between percussion, synths and bass. "Texture 004," the EP's biggest tune, is a cheery floor-filler, with a two-note synth riff giving it a melodic touch that stands out against its more stripped-down counterparts.
TracklistA1 Texture 001
A2 Texture 002
B1 Texture 003
B2 Texture 004