Detroit veterans Scan 7 are known for wearing masks, their affiliation with Underground Resistance, and having released on legendary labels. The collective’s past output ranges from soulful uptempo ravey house, to dark driving peaktime techno. Here, they take on electro, and give it a soulful, smooth, classic touch.
Detroit veterans Scan 7 are known for wearing masks, their affiliation with Underground Resistance, and having released on legendary labels like Tresor, F Communications, KMS, and Transmat. Originally 7 members, they are now two, Trackmasta Lou and Mr. Hooper. The collective’s past output ranges from soulful uptempo ravey house, to dark driving peaktime techno. Here, they take on electro, and give it a soulful, smooth, classic touch.
In Toxicity, immediately there is a sense of classic 808 sensibility, with its punchy kick and militant clap-like percussion taking center stage. The bassline could very well live in a funk or disco tune, and when the strings land, there’s an 80s reference that’s hard to miss. Of course the urgent beat, and continuously modulating bassline (which provides most of the dynamics), keep the mood in firmly darker territory. Harmonic pads reinforce this sense of tension. There’s an acid line moving slowly like a sidling talker, mysterious and not quite there, doubled by another eerie synth.
One would expect the next cut to take similar eerie tones. However the opposite is true … Unfinished Bizness opens with a syncopated house-like 909 hat and a warm pad playing a melodic progression.. After the intro, the vibe opens up and is pure fusion, bordering on jazz/ acidjazz, with the strings giving a markably 70s flavor when they slide in. A lead synth follows and slices through the mix, modulating, warbling throughout the track. Overall quite a surprising number after the opening tune, no way to see this one coming! It conveys a sense of summer, fresh oranges, perhaps newfound optimism, positivity, and an end to a pandemic,
Tronix kicks the EP back up a couple notches, opening with a driving 303 bassline that sounds more juicy and robust than usual, resonating with compression. It modulates slowly, until a shrill synth creates a counterpoint, builds then releases tension. Like an alien tractor beam connecting to your brain, it lifts you up, towards the unknown, its hold steady, constant, and only once you get to the source does it let go.
And perhaps being lifted out into the ether should not be scary or anxiety-ridden. In From that Place, the final track- the beat, groove, bass and arp create classic electro vibes, while the pads, when they drop in, are almost asking a question – “What’s out there??” They float in space, mysterious but bright, with a slight hint of nostalgia, even hope. And there is a sense of the future… a positive one.
Fitting, a surprising end to a surprisingly adventurous release, that explores electro but headed in its own direction, with its own distinct outlook, flavor, and musicality.
-Nicolaas Black
Link – Bandcamp
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