Bruising techno isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea in terms of home listening, but if your palette’s suited to it then you will be sure to find this mix a delight. Hood invented minimalism back in 1993/1994, but if you’re expected a set of clicky, unsubstantial tracks, you’ll be disappointed. Hood’s version of minimal techno is pounding, intense and sounds like techno is supposed to sound – minimal only in its lack of clutter rather than its tone or energy. On this mix he showcases his own take on minimal alongside the more “traditional” side of techno – from banging, to tribal, to funky, to straight-up Detroitness.
The sound of back-in-the-day techno brought up to date with a crisp production sheen on tracks like the bubbling, alien, stripped-back ‘Who Taught You Math’ from Hood himself, while rolling, tribal grooves catered for like Marco Lenzi’s ‘Taboo’ and Dan March’s infectious ‘Sandune’. Pitched-up disco house features alongside classic Detroit relentlessness like Jeff Mill’s ‘Skin Deep’, and straight up funk-driven rhythms like Hood’s ‘School’. We get harder with jacking grot from John Thomas on ‘Mr. Funk’ halfway through the disc, before things take a deeper, less frenetic turn. The let-up is only momentary of course, as the mix edges towards more metallic, inorganic sounds, like Scorp’s ‘New Energy’. UK Gold’s classic vocal-driven chugger ‘Agent Wood’ brings back the funky undertones in the final stretch, and before we know Hood’s dropping in his own bootleg of Sister Sledge’s ‘The Greatest Dancer’ – inspired in my opinion, but for purists, it might be a curveball too fat. The mix then tails off into a deep, hazy finish – with Hood’s own ‘Element 12’ bookending the mix in true minimalist style.
Skillfully crafted and programmed, Hood has put together a mix that true techno fans will go wild for. Quick mixing 32 tracks a la Jeff Mills, he goes for the jugular with a thick and fast style that sees little let-up in the energy levels throughout.
Click the link to read our exclusive interview with Robert Hood about Fabric 39, and the creation of minimal techno: http://www.datatransmission.co.uk/viewfeatures.aspx?featureID=15
Tracklist
01 Monobox - Silicone Fingers – Logistic
02 Element 9
03 Robert Hood – Who Taught You Math – Peacefrog
04 Pacou – X-Factor – Cache
05 Robert Hood – Strobe Light – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
06 Marco Lenzi – Taboo – Molecular
07 Joris Voorn – Fever [Rephrased] – Keynote
08 Fab G – Bust The Vibes [Real Disco Mix] – Grand Prix
09 Dan March – Sandune – Meta
10 Element 3
11 Diego – Mind Detergent [Robert Hood Remix] – Kanzleramt
12 Jeff Mills – Skin Deep – Axis
13 Robert Hood – School – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
14 Element 23
15 John Thomas – Mr. Funk – Logistic
16 DJ Skull – Informant – Hypnotic Tones
17 Scorp – One Side – Music Man/N.E.W.S
18 Pacou – All It Takes – Cache
19 Phase – Mass – N.E.W.S.
20 UK Gold – Agent Wood - [Adam Beyer Remix] – New Records
21 Solid Decay – Legalize! - Lessismore
22 Element 7
23 Robert Hood – Side Effect – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
24 Mion- Drop The Filter – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
25 Scorp – New Energy – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
26 UK Gold – Agent Wood [Original Mix] – New Records
27 Robert Hood – Still Here [Los Hermanos Remix] – Music Man/N.E.W.S
28 John Thomas – Pulp Funktion 2 – Logistic
29 Robert Hood – The Greatest Dancer – M-Plant
30 Low Life – Exclamation - Mosaic
31 Robert Hood – And Then We Planned Our Escape – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
32 Element 12