Margaret Dygas: How Do You Do (CD, Powershovel, November 2010)

Now, this is great stuff. I've not heard techno quite like this before. The beats range from dubby to a hard warehouse-style techno. The dominant instrument is the piano: dissonant stabs and abrasive jazzy runs — uplifting Balearic this is not. Occasionally, the beat drops out leaving only dark swirling atmospherics, which I guess is Dygas's idea of a breakdown. This may all sound very abstract, and it is, but it's not bleak. There's a real driving energy through it, and a touch of funkiness, and I could see people getting sweaty at somewhere like Berghain to this. I'll admit it took a couple of listens to get my head around... but now I love it. (The title is a reference to the album's declared concept, a nod to Desmond Morris's book Peoplewatching. Aside from a David Attenborough sample over the intro, I confess I don't see the link.)

I bought this from Juno. They call it Minimal / Tech House.

Comments