Klint continues to rip up the charts with his particular blend of clean, no-nonsense Techno on Rotterdam’s powerhouse Planet Rhythm label with his latest “Blues & Machines” EP.
Klint stormed the scene straight to the top in 2021 on Suara and has since been on a variety of heavily-respected labels such as Modularz, Liberta, Truncate, Rekids, Molecular, EartoGround, and Illegal Alien. Mind you, this is all roughly within 2 years, not counting this release just five days out from the new year. If you’ve been on the fence about Klint, and you haven’t really sat with his work or haven’t stepped in to see what the hype is all about, maybe this “Blues & Machines” release should settle the score.
This release marks the third outing on Planet Rhythm. For a stalwart Techno, machine-like label such as Planet Rhythm, they count on artists that are consistent and can deliver proper and true Techno time and time again. Maybe the real secret to Klint’s success is that he’s very consistent and very reliable, but also can provide a creative backbone to any DJ set.
For example, you’re running out of time, and the last track fell flat. What are you going to do inside 20 seconds? The answer could very well be Klint. He offers much in the same manner that people have come to respect Truncate for—his timing and DJ-friendly tracks have been legendary. The music brings you back to the center and in control with a broad appeal, and it is instantly danceable.
Each track on this “Blues & Machines” EP is a testament to that ideal, and “Wrong People” reels it in with a clarity of resolve. The main tension in the song is the cool use of multiband distortion across a squashed and filtered drum track which is contrasted by an auto-panned arpeggio line. There’s a good amount of subtlety in the track, and it definitely takes some deep listening to hear the changes.
The title track opens up with a dusty groove, a funky bassline, and chunky drums contrasted by the energy in the evolving bassline and squelchy, filtered arpeggiated synth lines in the background and that very hypnotic polyrhythmic synth knock. “Melodrama” opens up with the arpeggio which is Klint’s bread and butter on this release. It’s very clean and has only enough reverb to let it sit with the mix, contrasting the heavily compressed and filtered drums, which continues the theme of the EP. 909 crashes and rides along with a synth carry to keep the intensity.
Rolling back to the panning and distortion that was a central theme on “Wrong People” is the track “Back 2 Back,” but instead of a drum workout initially, there’s a confusing vocoded line that is very dissociating. Heavy-pressed drums and groove on this track wind it up for the thematic elements on the EP.
The tidiness of the sound design across this entire release is really locked within Klint’s love of his death grip on his drums and their subtle manipulation. Nothing is overpowering the listener. All of the tracks flow freely and with a strong sense of groove and just enough tension to keep things moving along.
This “Blues & Machines” EP by Klint marks yet another notch in the strong catalog of work by an artist who has become one of Techno’s highest quality and most reliable artists in recent years.
-Sean Ocean
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