Tronic’s 3rd installment in their all-Electro series, “More Than Machine 03”, showcases well-known artists alongside newcomers and features deep, synth-y Electro cuts.
Don’t you just love it when super well-known labels like 1605 and Tronic go all in and throw down some serious Electro? It’s no secret that many Techno heads, like Christian Smith and Umek, harbor a deep passion for it. “More Than Machine 03” offers some surprising diversions from the more four-on-the-floor producers such as Samuel L Session and offers masterfully executed Electro from established specialists such as Client_03.
The love for electro on this passion project off of Smith’s Tronic label is supreme, and it definitely comes with names you would expect, like Client_03, who’s simply flawless with his style and groove on the track, “Nostalgia System Cache Dump.” But the big surprises on the VA comp here include Alexander Kowalski, who delivers a jaw-dropping cut with “Moving Particles” which one can only assume is a loving ode to his Waldorf Iridium synth. CJ Bolland dives into his vast collection of synths and experienced skillset to give us a subdued anthem titled “Snapshot ’84” that gets better with every play through.
Again, here too, Samuel L Session has definitely been on that hypnotic Techno kick, yet comes ill and very correct with his groovy timing and disembodied arpeggios to make you really turn your head at the nasty, middle-8 breakdown on “Rings”. Also lovely to see here is John Selway coming back to Tronic and returning to his New York Electro roots with his Acid Electro track “Syncopation Phase”. There’s just something about Selway on Tronic that makes one feel like everything is right in the world, and I’m sure any old-school head could agree with that sentiment.
Some other heads on the release may not seem to have the veteran status as those mentioned above, but they’re well-known in other circles and known to deliver. Examples include Slovenian Deep Minimal and Tech House producer Stanny Abram, who’s featured heavily on Tokyo Sindrome and delivers a dirty and sexy Electro cut on this release with “Superficial Mechanism.” Ravn Jonassen’s previous release on “Burial Soil” is chock full of sinister Electro, and so it follows here too on this release with “Fjern” boasting massive synths and technical programming. Tronic favorite Diego Infazon flies his Electro flag here with ‘80s b-boy-flavored Electro tune, “Get on the Dance Floor”. Dark Wave and Synth Wave-influenced Maman Kusters delivers a serious head-nodding, chugging groover with a remix by dark Electro specialist Franck Kartell titled “Happy Meal.”
It has to be said—it’s never a bad idea to make an Electro compilation—especially from established artists such as those featured across this “More Than Machine 03” compilation. For those who labor on Electro as something that makes them feel whole and complete as a musician or as a side project that they have a passion for, it’s amazing to hear something that really comes from the heart. That’s really what this VA Compilation is about, indulging and giving in to the love for Electro and providing a platform for it for the world to enjoy.
For those not familiar with the older heads’ work on the compilation, it will be a fun dig to a/b their material to their past work and to get a better sense of their style, especially Techno versus Electro. If you’re just catching up with Tronic’s “More Than Machine” series, you’ve got some work to do.
-Sean Ocean
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