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Bryan Zentz has always been an original producer who consistently applies an intelligent and experimental approach to making music. With production diversity a major theme within techno at present, it is reassuring to witness Bryan Zentz avoid the more obvious ‘minimal’ route to seek a different path, illustrated here on his main creative platform Disruptor. ‘Words Are Bullets’ is futuristic tech house at its best but the clear retro influences are hard to ignore. Strong hints of acid seep through the track’s main framework, working well with building drum patterns. A dark vocal fits nicely into the groove before Italo house touches compete with the previously dominant acid. This soundclash makes the final sections of ‘Words Are Bullets’ shift constantly between uplifting piano chords and darker acid trips - resulting in an expertly constructed, and precisely executed, tech house excursion.
Zentz’s dub influences are clearly presented on the reverse. ‘Merciful Dub’ follows the standard Disruptor programme of concept dub tracks - but crucially on this occasion the US producer crafts a more uptempo background. The deep dub-inspired elements are still the main focus but extra vibration is caused by electro riff injections and a haunting vocal exercise. The versatility of ‘Merciful Dub’ is expanded by the application of a strong broken beat arrangement (heard previously on ‘Asphalt’) that boosts the usually weak undercurrent of Bryan’s dub tracks. The combination of this extra power and interesting riff makes this dub the best so far, complete with the ability to contend with the title track as the main reason why this release is an essential purchase. Tracklist:
A - Words Are Bullets
B - Merciful Dub |
Catalog No: DISRUPT 0601
Release Date: February 6 2006
Rating: 7.5/10
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