DEADBEAT - Eight

Quite some time has passed since the ⟨Von Oswald⟩-Ernestus duo essentially invented, on the spot, a fusion between the four-on-the-floor kick-drum edges of techno and the smoky rarefaction of dub, inspiring the work of people – like Vladislav Delay and Monolake, just to name the most influential – who, starting from that territory, rewrote years and years of techno history, both compositionally and in terms of live performance.

Since then, countless artists have recycled the hypnotic settings of that sound, some quickly becoming genuine sovereigns of it (DeepChord and related projects on Echospace), others continuing a visionary, personal body of work without ever gaining much visibility. The latter is the case of Scott Monteith, aka Deadbeat, Canadian by birth and Berliner by choice, for more than a decade a far-sighted interpreter of the dub-techno movement and the author of a vast body of work that is all too often underrated within the genre.

His eighth full-length (as the title suggests), his second for BLKRTZ and the follow-up to the stellar, magnificent "Drawn And Quartered", this "Eight" is a compact and more "accessible" restatement of those evergreen clichés that have long since become standard features of his work. It's a record static enough that no one could cry miracle, but it boasts eight tracks with an alien groove, the product of an unquestionable and unwavering talent.

That talent comes through best in the episodes most faithful to his "classic" mold – like the opener "The Elephant In The Pool", with its Monolake-esque feel, and the oblique experiments of "Yard" – while it seems to show a bit more strain where ambition increases, as in the minimalist pair formed by "Punta De Chorros" and "My Rotten Roots". The album's most significant episodes, however, undoubtedly correspond to two of the peaks of Deadbeat's entire output, namely the seminal vintage acid of "Alamut" and "Wolves And Angels", a splendid duet with fellow Canadian Matthew Jonson (Mr. Wagon Repair and, more recently, heir to the historic Itiswhatitis) for a magnetic, decadent rhythmic-psychedelic excursion.

"Eight" isn't a record with the right credentials to amaze or stir up any particular thrill, but simply the definitive proof of Monteith's ability to dress up his sleepless-night trips in the finest trimmings.

Techno that steps outside the city to make mentalism its first, great purpose, closing in on itself and its hypnotic weave, leaving it to the listener to discover its most hidden sides. A homework assignment handled with skill.

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03/10/2012