Relatively unknown Techno producer Muhammad Taha returns with his second-only career release with “Why Not My Dear”—a set of five, classy, uptempo Beatport-exclusive cuts off the Portuguese label, Naked Lunch.
A.Paul’s Naked Lunch imprint is really open-minded and always putting Techno first. The label’s signature style is steady and heavy four-on-the-floor tracks that always hit the mark. When an artist like Taha comes along, having only put out one other quality release in their history, it begs the question, where did this artist come from, and how come all of their music is so good? Did they sell their soul to some unknown Techno deity in exchange for the forbidden knowledge of the Techno craft? Or is it that they have spent years honing their musical skills quietly, only to burst onto the scene in some fiery flash? Or is Muhammed Taha an alias of another artist branching out?
But really, it doesn’t matter. Things in Techno are returning to normal, the rave is back, and it is no longer just a four-letter word. BPMs are hovering around 137 on average, and faceless Techno is returning to the underground’s cultural map. If we can live without knowing what Marco Carola looked like in the ‘90s, then we can wean ourselves off of the Instagram influencer culture for a minute to appreciate releases such as this.
This “Why Not My Dear” release certainly seems to have all the Techno concepts nailed down. They seem kind of observed and pinned down to their essence—essentially saying “This is a good idea, so this is how I’m going to do it.” Sure, there are personal statements within the mix here, tracks like “Stick To It”, “Freezing Sun”, and “Rose” are very unique expressions, while tracks like “Highway” and “Why Not My Dear” embody those classic, floor-filling slammers. You might get a lot of mileage out of the track “Highway” in your sets, but “Rose” seems to be the artistic choice and truer to his heart, since the only other release to judge Muhammad Taha by is his three-tracker release on the Valencia label Sungate.
-Sean Ocean
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