Matador

Ructions

BY Luke PearsonPublished Apr 25, 2016

7
After a slew of EPs and remixes over the past five years, prolific Irish techno producer Gavin Lynch (aka Matador), has unveiled Ructions, his first full album of original material. Released on Richie Hawtin's respected Minus label, this classy long-player will only reinforce Lynch's reputation as one to watch in the crowded techno field.
 
Ructions is sophisticated, expertly made techno, with its foot just on the right side of minimalism. Everything has a tightly controlled feel, with elements added or subtracted in just the right measure.
 
There are plenty of cool moments here: mid-album highlight "Klout and Bones," for instance, features a driving bass line paired with synth washes that sound like speeding cars to create a distinctly urgent tone. Later on, "Strings for Life" sports the album's only real melody, which Lynch teases effectively before completing, in another well-judged moment.
 
A dearth of melody paired with minimalism can often lead to monotony, but Ructions provides enough groove and atmosphere to make up for it. It's perhaps a little long, with a throwaway track or two towards the end, and newcomers to the genre might be put off by its willingness to commit to a single groove for eight-and-a-half minutes, but for those prepared for what it has to offer, it's a fine album, the work of a producer very much in control and very much at ease with his sound.
(Minus)

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