Recommended
Dark Matter // Joachim Spieth
Label: Affin LTD
Format: 12”
Release Date: 25/11/2013
After the success of 2011’s mesmeric ‘Sensual’, it was only a matter of time before Affin frontman Joachim Spieth returned to the dub-techno bracket, as he does here with the release of the ‘Dark Matter’ 12”, for the vinyl-only side of his label project, ‘Affin LTD’. Comprising the fourteenth impression made to the label, the record comes backed with a pair of remixes, from former LFO member Gez Varley aka G-Man, & Raum Musik affiliate D.Diggler.
Spieth’s original is one of contrast; regimented claps and sturdy four to the floor rhythms are usually the province of much straighter forms of techno, here however these are juxtaposed with echoing freeform chords and driving surges of low-end. The end result is deeply atmospheric, yet due to the track’s firmly cemented rhythms it still manages to maintain a strong presence on the dancefloor.
Gez Varley’s billowing take on ‘Dark Matter’ occupies the a-side of the release, sampling a small portion of the original’s chords, stuttering them above a propulsive low-end, slowly building across the track’s near eight minute duration. Varley’s remix is rather unrelenting, in stark contrast to D.Diggler’s structurally diverse take on the track.
Opening with rugged, industrial tinged drums, Diggler’s remix patiently develops from claustrophobic warehouse jam to simmering dub-techno as a reconfiguration of Spieth’s original chords are gradually introduced, slowly opening the track up. Its this sort of contrast that makes tracks like this perfect for bridging different sections of mixes, Diggler’s remix in general feeling designed around its effectiveness and functionality.
Having had a substantial career spanning back to the late 1990s, its perhaps little surprise Spieth manages to provide such consistently high quality releases, however the fact that this standard threshold is maintained even as the German born producer broaches new genres is really something to be admired.
- Published
- Nov 28, 2013
- Credits
- Words by Theo Darton-Moore