Gregor Tresher - A Thousand Nights

Part of the extended Cocoon family, Mr. Tresher is often a brilliant producer with a distinct depth and crispness to his uber-electronic, techno/electro/dub fusion sound – and an awesome DJ (as witnessed on his breathtaking Resident Advisor podcast). This, his debut album, is a mixed bag – flitting from the sublime to the monotonous. The title track sets us up well for some of the bigger moments later – with an epic, uplifting cascade of reverbed synths creating a arm-raiser of a euphoric techno track, while on ‘Painkiller’ he draws out one of those deep-penetrating, constant basslines that he is so found of, contrasting its solid timbre with shimmering, twinkling, delicate synth flutters. ‘Full Range Madness’ takes this formula and turns it up to 11 – with militant triple kicks, boshing cymbals and a dirtier, pulsing basstone combining with trancey pads and arpeggios for a true stadium electro vibe. ‘Battery’ is a smoky, dubbed-out groover that to me sounds a lot better pitched down somewhat – but is full of character and atmosphere, evoking hazy early mornings in industrial cities with its captivating combination of cold and warm sounds. ‘The Now People’ has got to be the highlight though – an absolute ripsnorter of an electro/techno crossover with thumping percussion and a razorsharp funk-fuelled snake of a b-line that cuts like a hot knife through butter on a big soundsystem – Eqed to perfection.

Unfortunately for the handful of stunners there are far two many over-long, brain-rottingly dull and repetitive cuts. ‘Black Rain’ and ‘Running System’ kick the album off and go absolutely nowhere in a dull, plodding, unhurried fashion, while other tracks feel half-baked and lose your interest after several minutes. The production is all spotless – but the downside to his distinctive sound is that his best tracks very much sound like variations on a theme. Anyway, get the tracks I’ve highlighted here as they are fantastic – avoid the others like the plague.