As Mr Cloudy, Russian techno producer Sergey Barkalov has previously released tracks on netlabels such as Deepindub and Kyoto_Digital, and this latest contribution to Rednetic’s ultra-limited techno-oriented 3” CDR series follows on the heels of his recent Different Lives remix collection for Shoreless Recordings. ‘Excursion’ opens proceedings by throwing the listener straight down into cavernous dub-techno as dry, sharp-focus snares and ticking hi-hats trace a percussive outline around vast, echoing dubbed out tones and ratcheting cut-up rhythmic fragments, in an inspired offering that owes more than a bit to Rhythm & Sound’s sculpted dub-techno template.
‘Therefrom’ meanwhile rouses the mood out of its smoked out fugue, ushering in buzzing, reverberating dancehall-inflected synths as rattling snares inject some additional dancefloor swing, before ‘Datura’ sees Barkalov removing the beats entirely, in favour of an ambient glide through blissful synth washes and distantly rumbling sub-bass grooves that manages to introduce just the right hint of unease at its very edges. Lastly, ‘Dry Breakfasts’ fuses scattered, rattling broken techno rhythms and fractured synth stabs to a heartbeat-like bass pulse, gradually reducing them into a ricocheting rhythmic wash with some judicious use of dub delay. While there are perhaps few surprises to be found here, this certainly sees Mr Cloudy offering up an impressive contribution to Rednetic’s characteristically strong 3” CDR series.
Chris Downton
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