Nitronoise, Projekt 51, Fil Devious – Acid Techno 001 (Injector Records)

Cat no: Acid Techno 001
Release date: 22/02/11

Acid Crumble – Nitronoise**
BPM: 145
Either Injector Records are new or this EP is their first foray into Acid Techno, I’m not sure which; either way, Acid Crumble was the track I heard first, prompting me to download the whole EP (it’s download-only, this one). It’s a long, ambitious track that hits the ground running with a hard kick so polished you can almost hear it gleam, has something happening every eight bars, whether it’s a swoosh, a stutter or a little backwardsy sound, then a supple acid line that swings by at about 2.15. There are vocal samples plucked from suburban America, ‘You parked in front of my driveway!’ etc. but it’s not clear how they tie into the title, if indeed they do, and then a distinct third section that actually sounds like a different track. Overall it’s a cracking tune that sounds nice and fizzy in the mix as long as you like a busy, crowded sound, because there’s literally never a dull moment with it.

No Supply  – Fil Devious
BPM: 147
When I first came across the name Fil Devious, many moons ago, I fondly imagined Fil from Back to the Planet was following in the footsteps of Guy McAffer and D.A.V.E. the Drummer and that, just as many of the cast of Predator have gone into US politics, so it was with members of Back to the Planet and acid techno. My red face when I discovered that Fil is a bloke from Wales! Lucky I never told anyone, eh? Fil’s always quality, whether it’s his mixes or production, and this is no diffrerent, a bit less peak time than Acid Crumble, perhaps, a prelude to the storm, rather than the storm itself.

Acid Train – Nitronoise
BPM: 145
This is too quiet; it actually sounds as though it’s been mastered lower than the rest of the set. Is it worth reaching for the gain? Well, it’s a bouncy, lively track, with busy 303 stabs all over, but lacks the je ne sais quoi of Acid Crumble and rather sounds as though, with this train, the lads from Nitronoise had (wait for it; it’s coming) run out of steam!

Nomenospace – Projekt 51
BPM: 150
The trouble with this is it’s just not banging enough for the speed of it, if that makes sense. It’s all a bit laid back for 150BPM, plus there’s a repeated vocal of a guy saying, ‘We were born to dance,’ when everybody knows we were born to run.