After a seven-year hiatus, acclaimed Madrid-based producer Alex Under returns with his second exceptional full-length album, La Máquina de Bolas, on Scottish imprint Soma. Known primarily for his driving, big room techno numbers, with releases on Trapez, Apnea, Plus 8 and his label, CMYK, Under delivers an impressive, gentler, slowed-down, minimal concept album. La Máquina de Bolas translates as "The Ball Machine" and should be consumed in its entirety to appreciate the artful, hypnotic rhythms that subtly evolve and resurface from track to track. Two-minute opener "Bola 1" serves to establish the album's tenor, with its distant, locomotive-like, chugging sounds. "Bola 2" cements the journey's theme, with transforming, dub-y grooves and mesmerizing, looping patterns that evolve into a morphing masterpiece. Alex Under's new direction on La Máquina de Bolas is his strongest, most mature work to date, demonstrating his scrupulous craftsmanship as a producer while delving deeper into his more explorative pursuits. This is massively recommended and one of the most notable releases of 2012 thus far.
Read an interview with Alex Under here.
(Soma)Read an interview with Alex Under here.