POPULATION ONE 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Terrence Dixon first donned the Population One alias for Metroplex two decades ago, and has been a semi-regular contributor to Juan Aktkins' label ever since. Detroit City At Night finds him in fine form, delivering tracks that blend traditional Motor City techno tropes - hissing hi-hats, spacey electronics, and futurist intent - with warmer keys and organ stabs. Naturally, it feels like a classic Metroplex release, with cuts such as "Going In Circles" - built around spacey melody patterns and swirling, sci-fi textures - and "Down The Lodge" ticking all the right boxes. Best of all, though, is closer "Detroit City At Night", an atmospheric combination of gritty Motor City field recordings and dark, Italo-influenced techno grooves.

Review: Earlier this year Terrence Dixon announced plans to retire from making music with immediate effect, sending shockwaves through a techno community that was still basking in some fine recent albums for Tresor and Surface Records and a clutch of 12" material. One of Dixon's final acts before coming to his decision seemingly was to record A Mind Of His Own, this EP for Metroplex and if it is indeed the final piece of production work from him, it's a fitting send off with Juan Atkins' label one of the first to usher in his work as Population One back in 1996. Opening cut "Musical Promises" is Dixon at his most enveloping, especially when the brisk percussion drops out to let the thickness of the production consume you, whilst "The Jazz Student" and "Starting Over" are as good as any of the lithe, alien techno that he committed to the Reduction cause.