Why it's taken 66 instalments for Detroit trailblazer Robert Hood to curate a mix for !K7's venerable DJ Kicks series is anyone's guess, but the Underground Resistance co-founder's instalment is a skilful 70 minutes of sleek, minimal techno.
While the prodigious Hood has been a mainstay for a quarter-century, most tracks here date from the last few years. The buzzing, futuristic synth lines of "Connected" kick-start the set; Hood's smooth and sequential blending builds with cuts like Mark Broom's "King," Truncate's "Terminal 5" and Marcel Fengler's "Thwack" that dominate the first half in an immersive and hypnotic aura with nuanced touches of melody that help eschew the repetitive.
A starker and funkier drive surfaces at the midpoint, with Hood's "Bond Solid" and "Dice," which builds emphatically with Clouds' "Chained To A Dead Camel" and Oliver Deutschmann's "Confuzed," before Matrixxman's skeletal "Protocol" wraps the mix with the raw chill of early techno.
Given the breadth of Hood's output and influence, hardcore fans may have wanted a more encompassing and historical selection but there's enough here to satisfy both newcomers and devotees.
(!K7)While the prodigious Hood has been a mainstay for a quarter-century, most tracks here date from the last few years. The buzzing, futuristic synth lines of "Connected" kick-start the set; Hood's smooth and sequential blending builds with cuts like Mark Broom's "King," Truncate's "Terminal 5" and Marcel Fengler's "Thwack" that dominate the first half in an immersive and hypnotic aura with nuanced touches of melody that help eschew the repetitive.
A starker and funkier drive surfaces at the midpoint, with Hood's "Bond Solid" and "Dice," which builds emphatically with Clouds' "Chained To A Dead Camel" and Oliver Deutschmann's "Confuzed," before Matrixxman's skeletal "Protocol" wraps the mix with the raw chill of early techno.
Given the breadth of Hood's output and influence, hardcore fans may have wanted a more encompassing and historical selection but there's enough here to satisfy both newcomers and devotees.
