The ever-young and talented Fresko brings an artistic sensibility, poise, and even a humble techno anthem on his latest release for Hayes, the “Arena” EP.
There really is something in the water over there in Portugal; they just do things differently. Even the concept of a techno music collective like Hayes is something out of the grasp of others. A group of friends that help each other musically, and support each other in a massively ego-centric “me first” techno culture? What a concept. And it’s not necessarily that Fresko couldn’t hold his own in the scene. The support from Hayes has been a massive push towards what marks him as a breakout talent in the Iberian techno community.
What’s new in the release in terms of Fresko’s output? Sounds that you can feel. For example, the title track “Arena” is certainly strange. There are so many dissonant vibes in the track that you have yourself questioning the way you react. Is this off-putting, or strangely brilliant in a unique sort of way? If we know Fresko, it’s certainly intentional, and even the strange syllabic sample is conceptually dissonant to all that we know in techno. The track “Arena” is a great wind-up for what is a tacitly beautifully put together techno anthem that outlines an affirmation of what this genre is truly capable of.
“Tragica,” of course, is the standout of the EP. It ventures into chord progressions, has harmonies, and yet somehow avoids any progressive house or trance pitfalls. Mostly this is done with clever syncopation tricks that are very much a defining characteristic of what techno is about currently. There’s some throwbacks to very classic techno ideas present as well however. The swung claps and the big evolving synth that is reminiscent of Teste’s “The Wipe” as well as the disco string carry that’s such a classic old school idea. Cementing the track into modern techno are the gritty atmospheres, tastefully processed vocal hits, distorted low end, and rolling kick and bass combo, which ties the whole track together.
For a techno musician to stand out these days, they generally have to bring out a few different things to the table: a willingness to experiment, an ability to connect with their audience, a unique sense of style, mixing chops have to be a given, an ability to put together a track without struggle, an accurate knowledge of what has come before and how to evolve the sound of techno, and surprisingly enough, a good idea of music theory as it relates to techno.
All of that is a big ask for anyone, but Fresko safely meets and exceeds all expectations in all these categories. The “Arena“ EP is a great release that will surely have “Tragica” being played in many sets worldwide for years to come.
-Sean Ocean
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