Saint Petersberg-based techno producer Igor Arsenjev (aka Gradient) has previously released tracks on the Schall and Deepindub netlabels, and this debut instalment from him in Rednetic’s ultra-limited 3 inch CDR series follows on from his recent reworking of Komponente’s ‘Picture Of Nothing’ under his parallel alias Waveform. Opening track ‘Membrana’ sees Arsenjev going for a deeply-textured dub techno aesthetic that nods towards the likes of Rhythm & Sound as it counterpoints dry, rattling programmed rhythms with a relentless, delayed-out bass thud – the icy foreground details nicely counterpointed by the shades of sub-bass warmth pulsing beneath like a heartbeat.
By comparison, ‘Dispersing Sectors’ offers a slightly more laidback and languid drift through midtempo, pressurised sounding snares and planktonic, rippling synthetic textures that hints perhaps more towards Vladislav Delay or Pole’s oceanic creep, before ‘Duplex’ brings this EP to a close with what’s easily the most dancefloor-oriented offering here, winding reverberating elastic synth tones around a relentlessly rolling backdrop of clicking snares and muted kickdrums. More deliciously dubby stuff from Rednetic’s more techno-oriented 3” CDR series, but with only 100 copies of the physical release available, you’d best move fast or settle for the download version.
Chris Downton
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