430 West 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Fresh from exploring the more downtempo side of their musical inspirations on Contemplate (a mini-album credited to Octave One presents Never on Sunday), the Burden brothers return to the dancefloor with their first full-throttle techno release of 2022. A-side 'The Blue Drift' is faintly foreboding, with typically intergalactic lead lines rising above a moody, sci-fi-fired Motor City techno groove. While it very much sounds like an Octave One release - with low-end weight to match - it's arguably more atmospheric and clandestine-sounding than much of their most celebrated material. They continue with this vibe on the more dense and percussive flipside cut 'It-Just-Is', a sweat-soaked affair full of metallic-sounding percussion hits, echoing melodic refrains and breathless sub-bass.

Review: Those Burden Brothers are back at it again, and you can bet the result will be stellar as per usual. For their long running and respected 430 West imprint, Octave One presents the next edition of Locus Of Control. The name is a psychological concept that refers to how strongly people believe they have control over the situations and experiences that affect their lives. Volume Three features 'Shameless', an adrenalised and hypnotic expression in proper Motor City themed hi-tech soul. Over on the flip, things take a moodier turn on the seething main room techno-funk of 'School Of The Seven Bells'.

Review: The mighty Burden Brothers return with some killer remixes of material from their back catalogue, which is always welcome to our ears. Taken from 2015's Burn It Down LP, 'Believer' was a smooth serving of mood music; its ultra deep and emotive groove complimented Ann Saunderson's gorgeous vocal and here we are treated to an extended mix (and dub) on the A side. On the flip, there's more of their idiosyncratic style of 'hi-tech soul' to be enjoyed on a rework of 'Whatever She Wants' (feat Random Noise Generation) which is more uptempo than the original, plus another handy dub version to follow.

Review: We're sorry to be brutal about this, but there is no way that we will introduce Detroit's Octave One at this stage in 2015, and if you haven't by any chance come across them as of yet, we're both disappointed in you, and you'll just have to let the music do the talking. 1995's Foundation EP is herein reissued by an unknown source, but we couldn't care less, as it's one of those releases that has been missing from our shelves for way too long. As its title implies, these three tracks represent the techno movement in its fullest, and from "Empower" to "Passageway", the Octave One duo put together everything that is fresh and interesting about the genre: sci-fi, dystopia, funk, industrialism, futurism, and heavy beats. Essential doesn't even cover it.

Review: n recent years, the Burden brothers seem to have devoted much of their time to live performance. Singles have been few and far between, and their most recent album - in collaboration with their other family project, Random Noise Generation - dropped way back in 2006. Burn It Down, then, could be considered something of an "event" album. Happily, they've lost none of their ability to combine rich, futurist melodies and evocative chords with rolling Motor City rhythms. At its best, such as on the classic Detroit brilliance of "Whatever She Wants" and the acid-tweaked funk of "The Forgotten", it's a stunning set. While not all the album lives up to these dizzy heights, there's still enough to suggest that it should be an essential purchase.

Review: Having first appeared on the monumental Techno 2: The Next Generation compilation in 1990, Octave One swiftly set out their sound to become the Detroit techno icons they currently are with the Octivation EP for 430 West. The rest they say is history. Given the reissue clamour of anything related to the birth of Detroit techno, it's quite strange that the record hasn't been licensed for an official new edition in the ensuing two decades or so, until now that is! Presented here in it's promo edition, you get a chance to here "Sonic Fusion", a track that never officially came out and was replaced by "There and Beyond". Any self respecting Detroit techno fan will know "Nicolette" and "Paradise" and anyone interested in increasing their knowledge of the genre should consider a must have!