Jason Fine - EP 01

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  • FXHE Records is known as the home of releases by label head Omar-S, but 2007 has seen him reaching out to new artists with different feels such as the dub techno of Luke Hess and the experimental house of Kyle Hall. This newest 12” on FXHE is the debut from former Michigan resident Jason Fine. Even though he now resides in San Francisco, it's obvious that Jason's heart lies in the 313 and its rich techno history. The spirit of classic Detroit techno is present in both his music and his methods: he uses machines to harness his emotions into a deep and funky sound, and then lays them down onto vinyl records. EP 01 presents a nice range of techno styles over six tracks that make it as useful for DJing as it is for home listening. ‘After Glow’ sets the tone with its exotic ambient synthscapes that recall the futurism of early 90’s melodic techno. The tempo increases with ‘Conical’, a pounding bass heavy groove that becomes disjointed midway through when a misplaced sample stutters into the foreground before slamming back into place, raising the intensity of the track. ‘Mood’ is a complex layered jam that brings to mind the ethereal sounds of Connection Machine, while ‘Midwest A’ uses shakers, rolling analogue percussion, and old-school reverse edits to re-inject soul into the minimal template. Detroit’s other electronic music heritage, electrofunk, is present in the massive bassline that drives the heavily swung ‘Low Down Funk’, which teases the dancefloor with unexpected synth tweaks. Jason smooths things out at the end with ‘Midwest B’, whose filtered chords and energetic bass show their debt to the early catalogue of Transmat Records. This EP is a testament to the power of simplicity in dance music. More important than any modern techniques is the soul of the artist, and the way he uses his tools to express himself. Jason’s raw style fits alongside the traditions that he holds dear, but it is his personality that makes his sound unique. If only more new artists understood this as well as he does, the future of techno would be more promising!
  • Tracklist
      A1 After Glow A2 Conical A3 Mood B1 Midwest A B2 Low Down Funk B3 Midwest B
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