Hermético’s latest EP on the Spanish Inoquo netlabel is definitely one to keep in mind. After his highly acclaimed “Cocinando Garmonbozia EP”, released about a year ago, Hermético is back for more.

“Senzeni Na” is clearly the strongest one of the package for me with a sort of Berghain-esque feel to it, but then slightly quirkier. A brooding bass covered with precise hi-hats lead us to some fresh modulating drips, breaking up somewhere halfway the track. Hermético only uses just enough sonic elements to keep things nicely stripped down and floating. The track provides the necessary dance floor requirements but we find tightly filtered riffs as well, ensuring a vivid and textured soundscape. “Recolectar Mercurio” has a more deep & dubby approach, instantly reminding me of Maurizio/Basic Channel tunes, but monotonity is quickly broken up by sweet organic stabs, which make this track something to float away on in the early hours. Worth mentioning is the tender “2+3”, sounding like a perpetual ticking clock, skillfully layered with subtle soothing elements, injecting this piece with emotion. Two thumbs up.

Hermético - Metro EP

After numerous releases on the Cologne based Karmarouge and the Broque netlabel, Max Cavalerra doesn’t need much of an introduction. In this EP he points out he’s able to manage different styles of contemporary techno. Deep, bass-driven techno, bumpy clickno as well as incorporating warm melodies without losing touch with the percussion structure underneath. This EP is a truly proof of his capabilities to capture an idea into quality music, whatever the vibe of the track is.

For me, ‘Function’ and ‘In Memory of Voilett’ are the ones you should pay special attention to. ‘In Memory of Violet’ stands out the most with subtle layered percussions and a warm soothing melody which makes you forget how apathetic techno could sound. ‘Function’ on the other hand, is a bouncing groovy piece with a nice percussion-fed hook in the middle of the track. Especially the way the break falls in, with rambling stabs and cuts without losing touch with the original groove, is work of subtle perfection. Other tracks such as ‘1000cm’ and the industrial techy ‘Impact’ are perfectly suitable for any occasion to be played out through the night.

With clearly a couple of tracks standing out of the bunch you could say this is a mediocre release but the variety Cavalerra shows in this package will inevitably make this EP especially useful and appreciated around the globe. A solid release nonetheless with some highly recommended tracks.

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Dante Costantini, aka Santos Resiak, delivers a stunning 5-track EP on the unfoundsound imprint. Five dj-friendly cuts filled up to the max with typical warm percussions as well as jazzy and dark stripped down elements.

The EP starts off with ‘Timba’, a pounding tribal gem with lots of analogue madness. At first glance, the track starts off like most of contemporary latin influenced minimal does, with a solid, more or less tone lacking percussion loop. In this case soon enough broken by a weird vocal snippet which warns for more wackiness to come. After a warm vocal break the track is covered up with some short stabbing synths to structurize the whole composition.

‘Lost weekend’ is a more chilled out track, the most experimental one of the EP. The slow pace of the track allows room to make the samples breathe more. Not very dancefloor minded but nice home listening material though.

Au contraire; ‘Check My Cumbia’ is a track with ever-building percussions towards a nice organ riff. You get pleasantly indulged with a rollercoaster of funky techno, organic jazz, groovy house and quick snaps and cuts.

Enduido is the most dj-friendly one of the package. This one has Cécille and Moon Harbour written all over it. It starts off with an irresistible drum loop, after a while accompanied by a vague vocal. We find a solid deep groove but it remains addictive nonetheless by dropping funky elements when time is ready. This one’s is as funky as they get!

The last one, Miércoles, is a haunting minimal gem with precise drumming and vocals with lots of reverberation. It leaves you with a certain confusion, this being a hypnotising marriage between precise analogue drumming and quirky snippets.

Santos Resiak’s Miércoles EP is a well-elaborated piece of minimal techno anno 2009. Combining a wide variety of influences with a subtle sense of precaution. Anyhow, you’ll find soon enough these five pieces contain more than just regular faux-chic boom-clapping. No doubt a breakthrough EP from this fresh Argentinean producer. Santos Resiak’s distinctive take on percussion and his intuitive ability to use tension building, makes this EP a great contemporary piece of electronic music.

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