Towards the beginning of the noughties, Berlin-based techno / house duo MRI were one of the more prominent figures operating amongst the micro-house genre, with a spectacular reworking of Luomo’s ‘Tessio’ and the inclusion of tracks on Richie Hawtin’s ‘DE9’ and Mille Plateaux’s influential ‘Clicks And Cuts’ compilation series. This third album ‘Heroes’ represents MRI’s first longplayer since 2002’s ‘All That Glitters’ on Force Inc (though they’ve continued to release 12″ material on Resopal), and in the interim Frank Elting has departed, leaving founder Stephan Lieb as the sole member. Those familiar with MRI’s past pedigree will doubtless be surprised little by what’s in store, with the emphasis here on extended edits near the ten minute mark likely to prove particularly friendly to Djs – indeed, the fourteen tracks here clock in at just over 90 minutes, spread over two discs. Opening track ‘Pilgrimage’ aptly sets down the moody aesthetic that’s at work here, sending ghostly jazz horns stretching out over a backdrop of rolling minimalist techno rhythms, dubbed-out snare crashes and burbling analogue bass in a smouldering intro that’s likely to go down well with fans of the Poker Flat label.
‘Kantstrassenkasanova’ meanwhile throws even more weight behind the rhythms, sending clattering tribal percussion arcing against subtle synth pads and vocal grabs, in what’s easily one of this collection’s most warm and house infused moments. Elsewhere, ‘Rejam’ offers up an eleven minute long journey through stark and relentless techno grooves, trailing crackling click and pop digital detritus beneath scissoring snare programming while phased synth pads shimmer out into the middle distance, before ‘Tanner’ brings back an elastic sense of house-y funk, placing plenty of weight behind the handclaps and 4/4 kickdrums, whilst upping the sense of moody drama generated a few notches with the judicious addition of portentous pitchshifted spoken vocals. In short, it’s a collection that’s firmly geared towards the dancefloor, with ‘Twin Peaks And Machine Guns’ sidestep into crackling downbeat glitchiness and gentle, blurred out melodic keys represents the sole brief segue away from the kickdrum here. While ‘Heroes’ perhaps doesn’t really add any real surprises to the house and techno spheres, as always the contents see MRI applying the level of panache to those genres that longtime listeners have come to expect.
Chris Downton
