- Sven Schienhammer, who makes dub techno as Quantec, keeps his tracks focused on a defined tonal range, but exploits his options within each range to its fullest. This EP has four good examples. At first the re-edit of "Circles" is soothing: very thin synth lines criss-cross each other all through the track. But around the sixth minute, those elements audibly slow down; it's disorienting, but the track keeps its fascination.
The title track is the easy highlight. "Force Vive" treats every element to sound very soft-focus; nothing is inaudible, and everything hits the body like a padded jab. Clean handclaps break it up at two-and-a-half minutes, and there are lots of spangly synths, but this is mesmerizing start to finish—even, I'm betting, if you don't particularly like dub techno.
"Ramified" takes a while, which confirms Schienhammer's way with pace. Eventually it becomes apparent that the star of the show is this pitter-pattering workin'-the-Stairmaster bassline that is twee-er than Superpitcher remixing the Vaselines. It's a perverse combination that works—the pert bass cuts through and gives shape to the dry fog surrounding it. Finally there's "Swayings," whose pitch-happy synths offer more of that follow-all-the-bouncing-balls roundness he does so well.
Tracklist A1 Circles (Re-Edit)
A2 Force Vive
B1 Ramified
B2 Swayings