Remote_ - Celestion EP - Meanwhile - 12"

I feel slightly disingenuous reviewing this record as it's actually produced by me. Does it come across as cheap for me to talk about my own work? I hope not. I must admit though that I'm genuinely enthused by the fact that this record has been released and on a label that I really respect and like... that's the icing on the cake.

Meanwhile has been around for about 18 months and has released 3 records so far. Pleasingly, they are all of an incredibly high standard and constitute a back catalogue of extreme quality.

Detroit and Berlin are the main reference points within the tracks from Murmur and Bovill and there's a deep, minimalistic and very pure Techno feel throughout all of the records. 4/4 beats, vintage chord pads and strings, touches of melody and an old-yet-new sound combine to give a unique feel that's considerably more interesting than pretty much all of the other Techno labels currently doing the rounds.

To have been asked to release an EP on such a label is a thrill and an honour and I just hope that this 12" can emulate the underground success of the releases thus far.

The Celestion EP is a four track piece of work which kicks off with the title track, 'Celestion [Edit]', a dreamy, House-style Techno cut with a relentless build, a dubwise bassline and swathes of full sounding effect-drenched strings... at once shuffling and dancefloor orientated but with a simplicity and melodic nature that certain people have been calling a summer anthem (not sure which summer that would be but, hey...). It certainly has a Detroit-laced sound but there's an offbeat, clicking percussion loop that gives it extra movement. An insistent track that never really lets you go.

Second track 'Celestion [Sound Hacker Mix]' is remixed in the finest of styles by the, as yet, unknown Sound Hacker. You'll be hearing more of them in the near future and on the evidence of this track it's not hard to see why. They've taken the leading elements of the original track and turned it into a jittery, skittering Electronica reworking with some dark, dense atmospherics and some wonderfully intricate rhythm programming. It's fair to say that you can hear a bit of Monolake in there, sound wise, and certainly a hint of Autechre on the rhythms. Cunningly, though, they manage to sound completely unlike either of those artists. A stunning track.

'A-Tonal' kicks off the B-side with the most overtly Berlin influenced track. A metallic stab or two with freeform echoes and heavy reverb build slowly into a 4/4 Techno track that references Basic Channel, style-wise, but has its own feel overall. A big, bad dubby bassline completes the flava and keeps the track rolling along and the progression is simple, minimalistic but very hypnotic.

The last track is 'Permafrost' which, as the name suggests, is an icy cold piece of work. An aquatic sounding series of layers build into a dense, beatless drone with a truly alien feel. Again, there's a nod to the Chain Reaction sound, but without referencing it completely.

So, that's what it sounds like... Hopefully some people are going to like it... I must admit that I do (otherwise why would I have written it?) and I don't think there's anything wrong with admitting that!