#wonky techno

Tracklist:

Overthrow • Mayday • Dynamite • Rock the Bells • Euphoria • 2 Live • Would You Listen • Revolt • Starchild • Midnight • Los Niños • Hardkotzen • Birthday

Today’s compilation:

Met@music 2001 Techno / Wonky Techno / Minimal Techno / Abstract Techno

Alright, let's cut to the chase: there's some pretty creative attempts here on this early 2000s comp from Frankfurt label Force Inc. Music Works to make some truly off-the-beaten-path techno tunes. A bunch of commendable efforts, but ultimately, almost none of them end up resulting in tracks that actually sound all that great or fully-fledged.

Except for one: S.R.I.'s "Auf Die Nachsten Zwei - Hundert." Now, I'll fully admit I was pretty much all the way out on this one early on. It sounded like the fullest piece of techno on the comp up until that point, and it had awesome hats and good drums, but the speed of its short lead melody clashed a bit with the rhythm and I was not a fan.

But then S.R.I. brought in this fuzzy, zapping, shaving kinda sound, and as it grew and intensified, it literally managed to tickle my right ear. So, in other words, that song is *actually tactile*. It only happens for a couple brief moments, but you *will* feel a sensation in your ear if you listen to it with earbuds. I've only experienced that one other time, I think, with Muslimgauze's "Azzazin," (it’s way more tactile than this one) but I don't even like that song, whereas with this one, I actually do.

Other than that one tune though, I didn't like this album. Some interesting stuff going on in some of these abstract and wonky and sometimes minimal techno tracks, but most of them feel like they're missing something; either peaking too early, too monotonous, too bare, or too weird. The glitches, filtering, abstract noises and sounds and cut-and-paste IDM-type approaches are cool and nifty, but the large majority of these tracks seem to have needed a bit more tweaking before being released into the wild.

Highlights:

Cristian Vogel - 2023 - Fase Montuno

Cristian Vogel - 2022 - 1Zhuayo

Rezzett - Rezzett EP