Hans Platzgumer and Jens Döring (e-stonji) collaborate and then arrive on the Spezial Material scene clutching this ep of music in their tightly gripped hands. The first solo release on the SM label from Hans, after a couple of compilation appearances beforehand. Lets check it out.

"Metic" unleashes its wave like stream of hissy electro mumblings, as heavy synth depressions, give off an almost bladerunner style outlook on proceedings, which is all excellently topped off with a beat, that takes no prisoners. Visions of steam jettisoning from any free valve, and shadows ducking in and out of doorways, clutching stolen processors all come to mind, as the programming washes over your ears, spitting out a glitchy gurgle like bassline, that keeps a stern aggressive look on its face, as it slowly glids towards you. Just remember to shake its sharp metallic hand and leave. Quality stuff hans.

"Med" jumps around in the soapy water like a playful dog, but then realises it is formed mainly of electronics and starts to have electronic dreams, as the water and detergent infiltrates the circuitry. Red clouds full of tiny bubbling faces, spin around slowly, whilst arcs of blue light splinter in the warm atmosphere, causing juttering mind warps and eye rolling attacks to become the norm. A short insight into the mind of a clean robot. Thud, pause, blrrrrrrrrr, its time for "Errorbeauty". This track instantly carves out its own parking space in your mind, with its rich terraforming bassline and burning pockets of electronical murmurings, whilst the head nods away. Its like peering into the future, through the warped spyhole, in the shoulder socket of a black monolith that has seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Excellent stuff.

Side B

"Httr" slowly slides its hand into your pocket and tries to steal the keys to your spaceship, inadvertantly activating the barreling bass alarm, that you had rigged up for these occasions. A traffic jam inside the small mind of a robotic child has an audio leak, and this is what you pick up on your now spinning eyes. Its a mesh of wavy lines, cut with speeding automobile samples, and a heavy almost distorted bassline, which is content, to just sit back and let everyone else clean up the heavy power drain it leaves in its wake. Listen and learn. "Mith" has you hurtling through the galaxies at a stupid speed, whilst porcelain stars clatter and bounce off the ships hull like seeds, skimming through the air on a one way mission to beatville, whilst "Hagry" has the fell of a last track, majestic and contemplating, whilst full of fuzzy energy, giving off vertical scrolling shoot em up vibes. You know when you complete a game, and sit back watching the credits, this is the essence of every game ending melody. Excellent.

Ok, what can I say, apart from soyperb. Hans really has tied together a very impressive debut release on Spezial Material, full of imagination and futuristic stylings, that you just have to sit back and listen. You definetly need to check this out, and as usual, the design on a SM release is shit hot. A quality, quality overall package.

Sam