- The gap between hardcore and techno is closing. Some artists have a foot in both worlds but keep them separate, while others are happy migrating between the two. Lenny Dee's Hard Electronic label, a techno offshoot from its older hardcore parent, Industrial Strength, is one of the few places dedicated to the overlap. It's where hardcore acts (Tymon, Innovative, Stormtrooper) from Industrial Strength's roster sidestep into techno, while underground techno veterans dabble in harder or more experimental sounds. The name Hard Electronic is fittingly ambiguous: the label's sound ranges from the brutal industrial techno of Tymon's To The Wire EP to more 4/4-friendly cuts like D.A.V.E. The Drummer and Lenny Dee's collaboration. Smart Dust sees two venerable techno artists pair up for Hard Electronic's most experimental record yet.
You may know Gez Varley from LFO and for his sleek minimal productions as G-Man. Mike Humphries has also been producing a more slamming style of techno since the early '90s, as heard on his label, Mastertraxx. Varley and Humphries might seem like an unlikely match, but their EP hits a tough and trippy sweet spot, especially on "25 Years." Full of rubbery sound design, it boings about on sprung surfaces for an eight minute-long romp that could be even longer. "Gladiators" is more boisterous but no less fun. It's the sound of all that pent-up energy letting rip, with an added carnivalesque melody line. With a bold breakdown, "Smart Dust" is the toughest of the lot. It's a marmite move that you'll either love or hate. This isn't Hard Electronic's best release, but it's one of the weirdest.
Tracklist01. 25 Years
02. Gladiators
03. Smart Dust