- The 303 still features heavily in electronic music, sometimes as one of many elements and, in other instances, as the dominant force in a track—but you'll be hard pressed to find a record this year that uses the acid sound with as much reverence as Pulsemotel. The first release on this label and Kvadratklang's debut—although it's highly probable that it's a well-known producer moonlighting—Pulsemotel recalls a time when there was a less precious, perhaps more naïve attitude towards electronic dance music.
"One Track Mind" is classic mid-'90s European techno, with wet acid squelches getting cosy with a subtle, pulsing rhythm and tranced out riffs eventually insinuating themselves into the tripped out arrangement. The title track follows a tougher, rougher sound and the 303 is harder and darker, which goes well with the "standing in a wind tunnel" effects pioneered on Red Planet's "Stardancer."
Speaking of that great '90s techno track, the panning bass on "Pulsemotel" isn't a million miles away from the insistent, marching low end that is used on "Stardancer." It could be argued that Kvadratklang is merely copying the past, but maybe the current state of techno offers the author so few options that memories are more powerful than the present. While that last comment provides sufficient ammunition for a Moebius Strip-style discussion, Pulsemotel remains an eminently enjoyable, lovingly-produced record—surely that's what really counts?
Tracklist A Pulsemotel
B One Track Mind