- Kyle Hall goes second wave Detroit techno.
- It's been over 15 years since the name Kyle Hall showed up handwritten in permanent marker on the insert of an FXHE 12-inch. And since then he's somehow exceeded expectations as the future sound of Detroit house, perfecting a rich and improvisatory style of analog funk. On his latest EP, The Cosmic Touch, though, Hall looks to the Motor City's other chief export, techno. Record highlight "Phantom" takes the spaciousness and cosmic wanderlust of second wave Detroit techno (think Kenny Larkin) but fuses it to live-sounding drum programming. Chords undulate underneath a ropy synthline that darts around the stereo spectrum, free of gravity, as Hall goes to town with snare rolls and the occasional shaker. This is hi-tech jazz in its purest form.