Techno is constantly evolving, but, according to many opinions, not necessarily in the right direction. BPM counters show much lower tempos, tracks are more likeable and catchy, and you can’t escape the feeling that, very much like floury politics, techno is persistently trying to repeatedly please more and more consumers. Fortunately, labels like Berlin’s Ostgut Ton continue to try to re-establish the good name of this permanently funged by it’s popularity and the power of money genre, and draw it down to where it used to be, namely, the underground.
When the legendary British producer Luke Slater took over his residency at Berghain, and it became clear that he united with the crew associated with the infamous club, I knew that this collaboration would bring only benefits. And here they are: two decades after his production debut, Slater returns under his most extreme moniker, Planetary Assault Systems, to become the first artist without German passport to release an album on Ostgut. A great album, to be precise.
'Temporary Suspension' comprises of an hour of uncompromising, full blooded techno, the sound of which displaces us from the present day minimal, clicking reality straight to the mid 90’s, when Slater was a key player on Peacefrog's roster and was forming the shape of the genre on the Islands. However, nowadays he is living in Berlin, so the album is a blend of the hard, expansive sound of PAS well known from his previous offering 'Archives Two' from 2002, and Ostgut’s view on techno for the XXI century.
The result of this synthesis is a industrial bomb full of metallic hats, raw basslines and galloping beats that can be fully appreciated only on a powerful club sound system. The whole machinery slows down only twice: on 'Hold It', on which Slater explores the best traditions of American house, and on 'Gateway to Minia' with cold, claustrophobic ambient, where Slater recalls his work as 7th Plain.
For many fans of today’s techno 'Temporary Suspension' will only sound like uncoordinated cacophony. But to those who truly miss this element of cacophony in today's techno, it will undoubtedly be one of the most important releases of 2009.
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