Hamburg-based OFF / GRID adds to what has been an increasingly impressive, slamming, and heavy-hitting discography on Ricardo Garduno’s Mexican imprint Illegal Alien with the EP “Back to Basics.
For only the last two years, OFF / GRID (aka Robert Lienau) has been landing on a set of dream labels for techno. And now he’s been tapped for a debut appearance on Illegal Alien. Some of the secret sauce in the sound of this EP could be attributed to the mastering skills of Paul Mac, who has had an ear in the game for decades.
So right away, we’re going to be hearing ‘that sound’ of techno, but that’s not to dismiss Lienau’s efforts here. There’s certainly something different going on here from his previous work, which has primarily been dub-chord-laden techno with strong, robust, and punchy rhythms. The shift to something different here is subtle, but mostly, it sounds like there’s been a strong education of the artist’s ear and the willingness to not hang so much on dub techno chords… instead leaning more into the rhythm and recoil of those heavy-hitting drums.
For example, the standout track of the release “Steamroller” leads with a focus on the hyped-up and pumping drums. There are some of the familiar dub-chord ideas. However, they are interspersed in the low mid and a groove element, and as a distorted call-and-response idea that is working tightly with the drums, which are very well carved with dynamics processing. The ‘broken techno’ inner B-side cut, “Heaven’s Nest,” with its shuffling pattern, is a departure from previous releases and shows OFF / GRID’s willingness to tread new ground after he’s made a strong foothold in his ability to express himself.
Flipping back to the A side, the title track “Back to Basics” has some subtle washed-out dub elements, but the way that they are being used is interesting. There’s that low mid, rhythm synth pushing things forward again with the kick, and the high-passed chords in the top end are a bit abstract as they inhabit a single frequency layer. It’s the subtle abstraction that really sets up the drums, while they aren’t totally the focus of the track, their insistent posture, dynamic punch, and sense of force really set this track apart from OFF/ GRID’s previous catalog.
It’s difficult to say what’s been remarkably different, but it might be safe to say there’s been some real work done to secure dynamics processing—creating a slamming techno EP based on that idea alongside evolving familiar dub techno chord concepts the artist is familiar with. The open space letting some of the elements hit and recoil, with low mid chord patterns interspersed, seems new to OFF / GRID’s work. And it is an idea that has certainly paid off for him. This not only creates a powerful groove but also conveys a sense of force and control through his beats, which in turn creates a more masterful and secure feeling in his techno as a whole.
OFF / GRID has only been on the world techno scene for 2 years so far. Still young compared to veterans who have been pressing wax for more than 20 years, but in that short time, he has certainly learned what his voice is. This EP is another step towards expressing his own brand of confident, powerful, and slamming techno.
-Sean Ocean
Listen to our podcasts here.
Find out more about our Events here.
Listen to our review picks here.-
