Paul Ritch has come back to the Techno stage after diving into a brief respite to continue the sound developed on the Modularz and Quartz Rec releases, pursuing a full-length LP of deep driving cuts on his latest release “Substance” supported by Revolt Records out of Malta.
If you see a gap in the discography and start poking around, you might find that the artist’s been up to something. Paul Ritch caught a bright star and rode it very well on his most notable 2013 release off of Drumcode’s label with “Run Baby Run”, for which you’d probably be bumping elbows under the rocks with isopods if you’re into Techno and haven’t heard before. It almost feels like he’s found some interesting compelling directions on his 2019 “Senza” release off of Quartz Rec and the gritty “Nuit Blanche” release off Modularz in 2020. From here, we have a good foothold on the current direction that has led to this truly deep and driving full length “Substance” LP off of Revolt this year.
Revolt has been turning heads lately with their Jonas Kopp release and the “Revolt Kollective V-Two” compilation this year. It only seems fitting then that they’ve taken on Paul Ritch with a full-length LP. And to Paul Ritch’s credit, the whole album is chock full of tracks that are at once compelling, useful in a DJ set, artistically inspiring, and also just great to dance to.
Some standouts in the LP are “Time Bandit”, which reminds one of a deeper and verbed-out Advent or Dave Angel-style drum workout soothed by long, synth chord progression changeovers after the mid-break. A haunting and dissociative statement is found with “Ghotam” blanketed by peaceful non resonant or deafening 909 rides and a really grooving bass and synth call and response pattern. A post-peak energizer track exists with “Phenix” where again, the groove with the breakdown is just superb to set up and work with other tracks in a DJ set; it’s the kind of grooves you just want to loop up and play forever on XDJ. “Infectious” is reminiscent of the deep and timeless excursions from Mike Parker yet done with a heavy tribal groove. Then there’s a forceful grace from “Sonic” that really grabs you and loosens up the grip as it pushes you into a deep hypnotic breakdown to really help drive the energy in a DJ set with a new narrative split.
Initially, one hesitates to use the word “wow” when it comes to reviewing tracks, but simply put, the LP has a lot of powerful awe built in to prove that saying “wow” is definitely the appropriate case here. Whether it’s the heavy grooves, the mysterious vibes that’re on point for the Revolt aesthetic, the absolutely refreshing use of TR-909 rides in a peaceful way, or the raw power of taking the listener in a stern and forceful manner and throwing them to the hypnotic wolves, there’s a lot to be said here and it all leaves a lasting impression. It’s delightful to see a quality label like Revolt continue to push top-level Techno in its own way. Definitely a great album from Paul Ritch.
-Sean Ocean
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