Ever ready to experiment and lead the way with new sounds, Tresor Records returns to the bread-and-butter formula of slamming forward-thinking techno with Exos’ latest release, “Green Light.”
Imagine that you’re Tresor—you’ve been a scene leader for decades, and you’ve changed the world of music several times since your inception—that’s quite the burden to try to keep pace with innovation. You love the interesting and strange stuff, sometimes you just gotta cut loose. That’s possibly what’s going on here as Exos also seems to be reinvigorated after a few years of keeping his techno deep before 2020.
With labels like Mutual Rytm and Figure egging him on, his faster-paced and intelligently processed techno seems to be a great crossroads for the artist and the label. What’s more, it’s fun and full of life and energy that is much needed in today’s techno market. Smart, fun, grooving, smile-inducing techno, that’s fun to dance to, what’s not to love about that?
The whole album is solid, but a few tracks really point to this idea of joyful and infectious energy present throughout the release. Certainly “Fire Chant,” with its stuttering stroboscopic vocals set amid a fast-paced swung rhythm highlights this feeling. It’s the timing in the notes and the odd character of the content that make it captivating and really draws you into its little sonic caverns interspersed throughout the mix while your shoulders dip in time.
Of course, there’s also the title track that’s quietly anthemic but stoically reserved and intelligently put together. There are a few tried and true ideas in here like the filtered main dissonant synth over time and the droning ‘rumble’. There are some clever ideas in it, like the almost too long, high passed reverse, and the almost IDM-like delay laden middle 8 transition before a break, or the clanging hidden and tastefully filtered supporting synth dangling synth sweeps. The loving care is present in the outro. The track is just riddled with opportunities to play with transition concepts that are fun and experimental. The joy of which is certainly imprinted all over the track.
“Ráðabrugg” is well twisted with its experimental band passed delays while presenting a headbanging kick, and intelligent transitions that are just a complete sound design flex at every turn. “Everyday”, also is a bit unique the the album, with the towering synth hits and the fantasy styled synth line, while the drums are full of shiny silver tops and the low end of the drums are well sanded deep stained wood. The track seems to be just a loving ode to the life that the artist lives in, every day. This is who I am.
In some ways, Exos was born into the perfect position and shared the love of deeper music with his family, since his father is reputed to be the Dub Techno producer Octal. It seems like Iceland is basically an incubator for all musical talents. After 27 years of producing techno of all sorts, there’s a freedom that is expressed here that’s wholly liberating, and while there’s a reverent grace within which it’s presented, it’s an expression of love for the music and a release filled with joy for the art of making techno.
Outstanding release for Exos and Tresor.
-Sean Ocean
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