Repress!
German techno champ Alex Cortex hasn't released an album since 2011's Kihon on Pomelo, but the prolific and long-serving artist is rarely resting on his laurels. Having released just one other EP from Lowtec, Blundar now presents a new untitled LP from Cortex that should satisfy fans of his leftfield approach to techno in all its forms. "Track 2" is a masterclass in how to work breakbeats into techno without sounding forced or false, while "Track 4" blooms from delicate ambience to snagging broken beat with the grace you can only find with such a seasoned vet. Spanning many moods, tempos and rhythms, this is a perfect demonstration of the many engrossing approaches Cortex can attempt and succeed at within the many-sided realm of techno. More

Alex Cortex delivering the heat!! Mr Cortex is kicking hard with a direct and mental techno tracks! Oscillon, A1, is a bleepy affair, direct and repetitive, but please, play it loud and watch. Rheometric is in the same alley as Oscillon but bringing the bleeps and glitches trip even more in your face. Combined with the fat but quirky bassline, it does the peak time techno thing extremely well. B1's title "Shear Wave" does the track justice. Backed by a fat downtempo beat, the distorted 303-reminiscent synth line cuts through the mix in a way that's impossible to ignore. Strain Rate Tensor rounds up the previous three cuts, also in a very dancefloor-friendly manner. Bubbly main lead and anxiety-inducing pad sneaking in the background seem to be the main thing, until another synth hits you as a counterpoint and flips everything upside down. Proper no-nonsens stuff!! (comes on 180grams vinyl) More

Legendary techno rebel Alex Cortex joins TRUST for an EP that wears his nonconformist creed proudly on its sleeve. 'We Run Your Life' takes center stage here, a massive electro banger and electronic warfare anthem for a dystopian future, its programmatic vocals striking a fitting resemblance to UR's most political output. Bouncy beat experiment 'Foam Rubber Landscaping' and dizzily spiralling 'Memory Overload' complete this triptych of techno rebellion. First release in TRUST's new 'Covert Systems' series, limited quantity.

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