Sonic Mind US 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: It's been a little while since we last heard from Donnell Knox, but he's back in action finally on his regular haunt Sonic Mind with some of that evergreen US techno tackle that he's forged a long and winding career out of. "No Time" is steeped in the smoky pads of the Motor City, with a rugged rhythm section and errant bleeps thrown in to seal the deal. "Rat Race" takes things in a more housey direction, but there's still a certain mysticism that reaches beyond the average club banger. "Sick Mind" continues the theme, but ties more knots in the programming to make for another essential slice of techno, and then "Repetition" finishes the job with a razor sharp slice of sky-scraping hardware science.

Review: There's only one word for this 1996 release from Donnell Knox aka D-Knox - blistering. Originally released on Jay Denham's Black Nation Records in 1996, it's become a highly sought after 12" and now appears having been remastered by Tim Xavier and reissued on Knox's own Sonic Mind label.
It's not hard to see why it was so in demand. 'Total Concentration' starts with drum machines set to stun and the mixing desk pushed to the edge of distortion. 'Deep Meditation' is smoother but still has the speed and crunch of its companion on the A-side. 'Mind Calming' has an almost industrial thump to it, minimal and brutal in all the right ways. It hurts, but it hurts good.

Review: Donnell Knox and Mark Hawkins, better known as D-Knox and Marquis Hawkes respectfully, team up for a collaborative EP on Sonic Mind that speaks to their respective roots in underground techno reaching back to the 90s. "Kalamazoo" is a tough and clattering jacker with out-of-phase organ lines to send your mind spinning, while "Not The DX100" brings things front and centre for a comparatively direct, acidic workout. "Halfway" ramps up the melodic content as a displaced vocal celebrates Kalamazoo's location between Chicago and Detroit, and then "Just Let Me Go" completes the set with a tough and bumping vocal house cut.