Everyone’s all atwitter about the demise of minimal techno, but apparently Richie Hawtin and the folks over at M_nus didn’t get the memo.
M_nus has been churning out some top-notch material this year, most recently Gaiser’s debut full-length, Blank Fade. Crafting minimal in the traditional sense—weird, dark and raw—Gaiser is a master of the form. His steamroller beats hiss white noise from between their tightly sequenced patterns, spraying pinging tones off into the ether like globs of molten steel as a rumbling bassline urges you to pump your fist. Tracks like “Whether Or Not,” with its filter swept drones and martial cadences, or “Descending Order,” with its disembodied vocal samples and percolating percussion, are sure to be hits on the dance floor well into the new year. The best bit is that Blank Fade actually works as a record; it has peaks and valleys, and these tracks hang together perfectly. Who says minimal is dead?
Carl Ritger
File under: Plastikman, Heartthrob, Troy Pierce