- This year, Ilian Tape turned ten. Among the celebrations, which included a tour and a compilation, there were moments of reflection from Dario and Marco Zenker, the brothers in charge. "Techno is getting a little bit stuck," Dario told RA. While Marco said: "Techno doesn't have to be dark, modern, industrial. It can be super groovy and melodic, too." A Decade Ilian Tape may not have reflected Marco's viewpoint, but the brothers' latest 12-inch does. The Schyren, the Zenkers' first solo record in two years, combines gritty textures with a housey touch.
The A-side does this best. "Randat" has a raw bounce teeming with percussion and brassy chords that stab across the track. A massive bassline dominates "Subklet," the dance floor bomb. Fat and hammering, it gets the energy grooving right out of the gate while hi-hats and funky riffs lift the mood even higher. On the B-side, "Monoptahras" is closer to Ilian Tape's recent stormy techno with a melancholic twinge. Even though it's dreamy, this burning sound is potent.
TracklistA1 Randat
A2 Subklet
B1 Monoptahras