Patrice Bäumel: Speicher 81 (Kompakt Extra)
The 81st entry in Kompakt’s ongoing series of Speicher releases comes from Dutch producer Patrice Bäumel, with each of its two cuts harking back to a leaner, meaner Kompakt that I would associate with its first big wave of more aggressive techno releases about ten years ago (Joachim Spieth, Auftrieb, Thomas Gwodsz, et. al). Of the two, my preference is on the B-side. “Vertigo” is dark techno with a wink, playing off its title with a gradually shifting key throughout, never staying particularly still but nicely anchored by its crisp, thick drum tracks.
“Mile High Gang” is a bit slower by comparison, with a more languid but continuous movement about it. It’s got all of the mechanical thrust of a good minimal techno groove but with a tinge of trance in its insistent bassline and patterns. Both cuts are quality tracks that would plug in neatly into a techno set, but Bäumel gets bonus points for the clever ingenuity of “Vertigo” and its woozy, propulsive arrangement.
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