In the various worlds of the different kinds of Techno, EPs are common. 2-4 track mini-albums that the artist felt was a compelete set for whatever unknown reason. It's hard to write a complete review of these small packs of music, but I feel several of them are worthy of attention. So I'll list several here with brief comments about why I think they're good. They're in reverse alphabetical order; no ranking is intended.
Yernesto - In Too Deep (Dub Techno)
https://coldtearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/yernesto-in-too-deep
Dub Techno rides a line between Techno and Dub, and there's a certain sweet spot that I really like. I prefer no vocal samples, and few to no Roland 909 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEFEivTgNVI) samples. The 909 has been ubiquitous in popular music since its introduction in 1983, and I'm just tired of hearing those sounds over and over.
Yernesto's release "In Too Deep" hits all the right buttons for me to like it. Deep grooves, solid soundstaging and subtle effects work. I highly recommend this, and look forward to more releases from him.
Vertical Amigo - Ridge (Dub Techno)
https://coldtearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vertical-amigo-ridge
"Ridge" is a quite varied collection of tracks. Plateau has a live-sounding drum loop that is just awesome, and Peak is a great subtle closer.
Submersion - Deluge (Dub Techno)
http://audio.submersion.info/album/deluge
Submersion has a very noisy take on the genre with tons of rain samples mixed into his work. Deep thudding bass drums with grimy-sounding synths amid all the rain give this collection a very dark and foreboding atmosphere.
Sasha - Xpander (Progressive Trance)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAkYOME9lB8&list=PLMGxtELrE1hukmcHodSj0K7-iz6xRaU-b
(Sorry, there's no official listenable version of this)
Ordinarily, Sasha does heavy remixing of other artists' works, most notably with the Involver series. I'm not really into the whole remix scene, so I prefer his solo work. He does work with other artists on these, but it's his name on the product. The 4 tracks of Xpander (ignoring the 4-minute edit of the title track) are all different, and are all epic journeys in the style of Progressive Trance. Xpander is one of the best tracks in my entire collection; I highly recommend it. Oh yeah: spot the Autechre sample in Baja.
Plaster - Nemesis (Minimal Techno... I think. Hard to catagorize this one)
https://soundcloud.com/plaster/nemesis-ep (just samples)
Plaster at the time of this release consisted of two artists; one has since left, and both continue to release music. One as Plaster, and one as Agan. This EP is a collection of disparate tracks that all have a brooding mood. I'd like to point out Alight To Earth, track 2, as the best one of the set.
Ohrwert - Aberrate (Dub Techno)
https://entropyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ohrwert-aberrate
One of my favorite works from Ohrwert (who also releases ambient music under his real name, Arjen Schat), Aberrate is just three tracks, but wow are they good. Make sure you have access to super deep bass to catch some of the underlying rhythms in Panorama and Asphere!
Mon0 - Sensaura (Dub Techno)
https://mon0.bandcamp.com/album/sensaura
If a 33 minute album can be called an EP, this is a good one. There are three 10-minute tracks, and they're all interesting. They switch moods from one to the next, so the collection has quite a varied feel to it.
Doublereflect - Aquanaut EP (Dub Techno)
https://axaminerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/doublereflect-aquanaut-ep
Here we get 5 tracks, two are remixes of the first. Both remixes sound different enough from the original not to be annoying, one being from the above-mentioned Ohrwert. Except for one of the remixes, these tracks have very heavy beats. They have a bit more of a thunderous sound than most Dub Techno I listen to, but the effect is cool and I recommend it.
Basic Channel - Basic Reshape (Dub Techno)
https://hardwax.com/44095/basic-channel/basic-reshape/
I have to include at least one EP from the inventors of Dub Techno, Basic Channel. Two tracks of different lengths, with very interesting sounds. Both tracks took their entire respective sides of the 12" vinyl it was printed on, but one was to be played at 45 RPM and the other at 33 1/3 RPM. These are remixes of others' works that I have not heard, most accounts credit them as being nearly original works in their own right.
Yernesto - In Too Deep (Dub Techno)
https://coldtearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/yernesto-in-too-deep
Dub Techno rides a line between Techno and Dub, and there's a certain sweet spot that I really like. I prefer no vocal samples, and few to no Roland 909 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEFEivTgNVI) samples. The 909 has been ubiquitous in popular music since its introduction in 1983, and I'm just tired of hearing those sounds over and over.
Yernesto's release "In Too Deep" hits all the right buttons for me to like it. Deep grooves, solid soundstaging and subtle effects work. I highly recommend this, and look forward to more releases from him.
Vertical Amigo - Ridge (Dub Techno)
https://coldtearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vertical-amigo-ridge
"Ridge" is a quite varied collection of tracks. Plateau has a live-sounding drum loop that is just awesome, and Peak is a great subtle closer.
Submersion - Deluge (Dub Techno)
http://audio.submersion.info/album/deluge
Submersion has a very noisy take on the genre with tons of rain samples mixed into his work. Deep thudding bass drums with grimy-sounding synths amid all the rain give this collection a very dark and foreboding atmosphere.
Sasha - Xpander (Progressive Trance)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAkYOME9lB8&list=PLMGxtELrE1hukmcHodSj0K7-iz6xRaU-b
(Sorry, there's no official listenable version of this)
Ordinarily, Sasha does heavy remixing of other artists' works, most notably with the Involver series. I'm not really into the whole remix scene, so I prefer his solo work. He does work with other artists on these, but it's his name on the product. The 4 tracks of Xpander (ignoring the 4-minute edit of the title track) are all different, and are all epic journeys in the style of Progressive Trance. Xpander is one of the best tracks in my entire collection; I highly recommend it. Oh yeah: spot the Autechre sample in Baja.
Plaster - Nemesis (Minimal Techno... I think. Hard to catagorize this one)
https://soundcloud.com/plaster/nemesis-ep (just samples)
Plaster at the time of this release consisted of two artists; one has since left, and both continue to release music. One as Plaster, and one as Agan. This EP is a collection of disparate tracks that all have a brooding mood. I'd like to point out Alight To Earth, track 2, as the best one of the set.
Ohrwert - Aberrate (Dub Techno)
https://entropyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ohrwert-aberrate
One of my favorite works from Ohrwert (who also releases ambient music under his real name, Arjen Schat), Aberrate is just three tracks, but wow are they good. Make sure you have access to super deep bass to catch some of the underlying rhythms in Panorama and Asphere!
Mon0 - Sensaura (Dub Techno)
https://mon0.bandcamp.com/album/sensaura
If a 33 minute album can be called an EP, this is a good one. There are three 10-minute tracks, and they're all interesting. They switch moods from one to the next, so the collection has quite a varied feel to it.
Doublereflect - Aquanaut EP (Dub Techno)
https://axaminerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/doublereflect-aquanaut-ep
Here we get 5 tracks, two are remixes of the first. Both remixes sound different enough from the original not to be annoying, one being from the above-mentioned Ohrwert. Except for one of the remixes, these tracks have very heavy beats. They have a bit more of a thunderous sound than most Dub Techno I listen to, but the effect is cool and I recommend it.
Basic Channel - Basic Reshape (Dub Techno)
https://hardwax.com/44095/basic-channel/basic-reshape/
I have to include at least one EP from the inventors of Dub Techno, Basic Channel. Two tracks of different lengths, with very interesting sounds. Both tracks took their entire respective sides of the 12" vinyl it was printed on, but one was to be played at 45 RPM and the other at 33 1/3 RPM. These are remixes of others' works that I have not heard, most accounts credit them as being nearly original works in their own right.
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