28-year-old producer Andy Stott has quite a string of records under his belt, much evidenced by this second CD release which collects many of his recent vinyl releases for Boomkat's sophisticated minimal techno imprint, Modern Love. While Stott's earlier work veered more toward Detroit and classic techno, he's moved into progressively deeper waters with records like ZLV and Massacre, channeling the same deep, low-end dub that informs the classic work of Rhythm & Sound or Maurizio. He does so with a contemporary ear, though, careful to not completely repeat what's come before. The variety is refreshing here, especially when by and large this could be labeled "dub techno" – only a few tracks explicitly deliver on the promise of such a microgenre, and when they do, they really shine. But there are just as many sidesteps that touch upon somewhat familiar sounds, albeit in a way that feels cohesive, with Stott's fingerprint on each unique track.
The common theme in the tracks that comprise Unknown Exception is a deep, clean, buoyant low-end. From the first fade-in of "Fear of Heights," a repetitive, bobbing bassline sets the stride. The references to dub are in the delay and reverb on the chords and melodic phrases, sprinkled throughout what is a surprisingly uptempo basskick – it feels quite chill and slow, but is really moving at a good clip. The same can be said for second track "Bad Landing," which has a familiar reggae-dub organ pattern and melody; the throwback to dub is there, but over a similar upbeat bass kick (but staggered rim shot) and bouyant bassline. But not every track here is such a thorough dub-techno hybrid. "Long Drive" is a sedate nod to Detroit techno, while "Credit" is more fully formed in that direction with pronounced claps and warm pads, giving it a nostalgic tint while still looking forward. He's not afraid to dial it all back to the bare essentials, as indicated by "Fine Metallic Dollar" or "She's Gone Wrong," two of the most skeletal tracks of the minimal techno variety (think Richie Hawtin's M_nus label), but these more no-nonsense workouts are balanced by the deep, slow dub of "See In Me" or the beautifully repetitive "Hostile" or lightly melodic "Replace" as a closer.
His tracks feel related and from the same set of hands each time, but none of the tracks on Unknown Exception feel dull or redundant. He's edited well and managed to craft a well-paced album out of these pre-existing standalone releases... it's an album filled with tracks that can function on the floor but are perhaps even better in the deep of night, for isolated at-home listening.
mp3s: Fear of Heights | See In Me
more info: Myspace | Discogs | Modern Love
buy it: Bent Crayon | Forced Exposure | Boomkat | Amazon
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