Germany-based DJ/Producer and label boss S-File releases a top notch 10-track long play album I AM on his powerhouse label GND Records. Combining analog sounds with no-nonsense dancefloor arrangements, he shows off various sides of modern and classic techno, along with a few surprises at the end.
The LP opens up with a trio of modern techno dancefloor tracks. “Straight Ahead” starts it off touting a huge, springy kick drum and quick-footed groove that pounds relentlessly under echoed bells for its entire 5+ minute duration, minus a couple very swift breaks. After establishing his heavy side, he moves on to the title track “I Am”, an exercise in minimal warehouse techno. The dubby venture sports a pulsating hypnotic synth stab that evolves throughout as the main force surrounding the deep, jackin’ techno drums. “Better Life” ups the energy with a breakdance-friendly hard techno stomper similar to recent collaborator Mark Broom’s Octatrack style. Ruthless stadium sized drum beats flip in and out of breaky changeups to create perhaps the most intense mood on the record.
“Accent” changes the tune with an acid house number. The Jackin drums provide a driving and constantly moving bedrock for the insatiably groovy 303 wave that stays rubbery throughout, sans a few squelches towards the end, establishing all that’s needed for a simple and effective acid track. “Part Of Me” deepens the vibe next by slowing down the tempo and incorporating dreamy synth pads with dubby stabs to create a thick atmosphere around its tribal bassline and swinging drums.
After the mellow mid-album break, “Allright Mate” goes back to straight up, peak-hour techno with a fast-paced beat geared for dancefloor destruction. Devoid of synths or melodies, the drums and percussion alone drive the trippy, stripped-down workout. “Spinning Atoms” finds a darker corner of the trippy techno realm, filled with whistling winds and terrorizing drum sequences. A spaced out synth line and crystalline reverb build-ups add to the mystique he masterfully creates for the dark techno lovers.
To finalize the record, S-File switches up the mood completely while keeping up the elite production quality, showing off his versatility. “Distant Land” brings another new mysterious tone to the album with a haunting bass sequence and filtered pluck that journeys the track through the never in this dubbed-out excursion. In “Lost Moment,” he dabbles close to house territory with a bouncy bassline and snappy snare on the 2nd and 4th beat, but also brings in very techno-swung hi-hats and opens up the filter of the fat bassline to reveal a monster sawtooth. Together the combined elements create a hybrid dance track mixable with either genre. “Polemic” ends the LP with a tribute to Detroit electro, breaking up the beat for the first time in the album with sharp 808 drum hits that cut through the belting atmospheric synth chords, providing a soothing breather from the 4/4 intensity and possibly ready you for a full instant replay.
S-File goes all out with meticulously selected sounds and unblemished mixdowns for an exemplary techno album that will be appreciated by both new school and old school DJs and fans.
-Kai Loo
Link – Bandcamp
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