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Zone Records

Optical Tendencies by Maelstrom

Maelstrom Optics EP Zone Records 25thNovember2015 Zone25 vinyl/digital

No nonsense French label Zone Records is back with another rugged techno four tracker, this time from close associate and well established production talent Maelstrom.

Opening up this EP is ‘Densil,’ the dark, textural broken techno track that has harsh claps, urgent siren sounds and a real sense of industrialism in its turbulent groove. ‘Fission’ is a more traditional acid track with gurgling 303 lines bubbling away above firmly planted, insistent kicks. Late night twinkles and a subtle paranoia characterise the murky atmospheres and it doesn't take much to imagine this one doing plenty of damage in the club. The perfectly occult ‘Optical Tendencies’ is another experimental affair with lumpy drums, pixel thin synth patterns and more grumbling industrial fills. It is dystopian and dark, absorbing and brilliantly machine made. Lastly, the excellent ‘Oxy Blur’ has sluggish bass, swampy sounds and corrugated synths all slowly trudging along as pained stabs and bleak pads all add to the soot black intensity of it all. This is smoky machine music for those with a penchant for post punk and a soft spot for the spikier end of the techno spectrum.