Record Review: Unruh 01/02
VA - Sextant Part One / Sextant Part Two (Unruh, 2021)
Zurich-based label Unruh put out these two VA releases just recently, winning the award for best sleeve design of the year in the process. While the cleverly interlocking geometry of each centre label and outer sleeve points to the careful precision of much of the music held on the vinyl, the surrealistic word-soup that decorates the rest of the sleeves reminds us that under the surface bubble unknown forces, struggling to come out.
These can be heard most vividly in WWWW’s ‘Mammoth Hunt’ on Sextant Part One, a dense techno blast that frequently threatens to come apart at the seams. This contrasts with the more disciplined drive of Tachyon’s ‘Night Ride’ and Robotron’s ‘Baltik’ on the same EP - both tracks I can imagine hearing from DJs playing that tougher contemporary style of electro-y techno / techno-y electro (suggestions for a better term are very welcome).
More up my street are the moody and melodic moments of electro and breaks on Sextant Part Two. Jacksonville’s ‘Elektra’ features the kind of squeaky trolley noises I always find irresistible, giving an edge to its yearning pads and retro electro beat. Capricorn One’s ‘Pavement’ is, rather appropriately, a steppy banger, reminding me of this d’Kawa EP I’ve been playing for years. The standout tune, and the one I’ll be rinsing at upcoming gigs, is Tachyon’s ‘Select A’: chunky breaks and electro manipulated live in the arrangement for a sizeable payload of dance energy.