The Modernist - Explosion
(Matador)
I know this guy who always talks about how he's into Swedish techno and how
it's so hard to find. Well, he should be happy that Matador has released here
in the good ol' USA The Modernist's Explosion. The Modernist is not
actually Swedish, he's German. But his name is Jorg, and Germany is next door
to Sweden, and they all speak essentially the same language anyway.
Keep in mind here that I am not what anyone would categorize as the world's
biggest techno fan, however, I do enjoy the occasional techno cd. That said,
Explosion is pretty good, as far as the techno I have heard goes, and I
bet that if you like the minimalist strain of techno that this would appeal to
you. It's full of quirky euro grooves and tricky rhythms, but never becomes
overbearing, like the bad techno does, and the layering never gets too dense,
so you can keep track of everything that's going on. Though each song has that
same fake techno bass thump, it never overpowers the individuality of any of
the songs.
There are a handful of tracks like "Victor Ludorum" and "Global Entertainment,"
that really groove, with jazzy, syncopated synths, subtle funky bassline, and
the standard generic techno fake bass drum and high-hat. However, there are
just as many like "Fade Like Glenn" and "Alphatier Brian" which drop the
interesting parts and keep only the generic parts: cheesy bouncing keyboards
and monotonous bass thumps. Seriously, at points it sounds like a scratched
record.
The real treat, however, is when Jorg mixes it up a bit. "Manson Soup" is a
moody little number that channels a strange Coil-like vibe (from their
Love's Secret Domain trancey period) and is easily the best song on the
album. "Inspiratio" has a cool mix of almost live sounding electric piano and
bass, mixed with skittering drum machine high hats and bursts of old school
dance synths. If a band from Chicago had recorded this song, I bet that there
is not a post-dork alive who would not love it.
Like much electronic music, the payoff with most tracks on Explosion
comes only with a close listen and a bit of patience. The songs shift and
build in interesting, but very subtle ways. The successful tracks are worth
the effort, and actually probably work better at home with headphones than on
a crowded, sweaty dancefloor. So, if techno is your bag, you may want to check
this out, because on Matador its going to be a whole hell of a lot cheaper than
those fancy imported techno records. Plus its not too bad.
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