Amsterdam-based techno and electro artist Alex Ranzino wraps up old-school aesthetics into tight modern sensibilities with his newest release on ANTIDOTE Records, “Strike Back”.
Many people are looking backward these days, especially young producers looking to establish a foundation for the music based on research and the best ideas from techno’s history. Some are getting it wrong entirely, but then some like Alex Ranzino get it right, whether they had parents who played this music, or they’re just naturally curious enough as fans of the foundations of music history. Whatever the case may be for Alex Ranzino, he certainly has all the best ideas of yesteryear and with the full power of 30 years of technological improvements at his fingertips, using it all in a powerfully grooving and infectious manner.
Obviously, the influences of Acid House are dripping all over this EP, but what’s outstanding about the release is the sonic quality. The saturation and possibly the use of 16bit reduction certainly seem to be at play here to either match vintage samples or recreate the sound of vintage gear and 1988’s obsession with digitally controlled analog equipment. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if these tracks were bounced down to DAT from Ableton, or if the artist is really into Akai rack samplers, such is the similarity of the sounds presented here.
The production quality is only part of it. The other part of it is the impeccable sense of rhythm and timing while influencing it with the funkier aspects of the acid house movement—such as powerful hooky vocal loops in “Hauswreck” or “Higher State” or the synths that match this feeling and flow in a hypnotic frenetic fashion on the standout track “Smacked.”
That’s pretty dope, but while listening to that, you might just miss some really great raw 909 programming. There’s some real subtle mastery there that should not be overlooked. Once you’re listening to that drum machine layer, you’re just going to be amazed at how well things are coming together in every way over the beat.
When listening to this EP, do yourself a favor and zero in on the drums, and keep focused there as the track swirls around you. You’re gonna get caught up in the groove for sure.
Lots of great things in this “Strike Back” EP here… and there’ve been lots of others also singing praises by charting his recent work. There’s a great foundation set up to really push things ahead in a forward-thinking way, while holding strong to the musical concepts that are essentially the underpinnings of what makes techno and electronic music great. A solid release from ANTIDOTE and Alex Ranzino.
-Sean Ocean
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