Andrew Duke

Andrew Duke is one of the foremost techno producers from Halifax, NS, and is also the founder of the independent Cognition label. Spring has Sprung is an apt title for this new release, since the CD starts off with the subtle and microbic "Pharmakoi," before blossoming with the heavy, muscle-bound throbs of "Ut Ut." Indeed, the whole album gives the impression of the emergence of life with the change in seasons, where the microbes, insects and slugs are the first to awaken, as typified on "Pharmakoi" and "Crablike." Electronic sounds on track six, "FF," emulates the sounds of smaller animals and birds rustling through budding growth. Track eight, "Knot Rocket," sounds like a group of frogs throwing a rave at a pond, the amphibians are out! The last track, "Ut Ut," signifies the awakening of the bears from hibernation, lumbering about en masse. Spring Has Sprung is organic, wet sounding techno that skitters along a range of frequencies; from scurrying subtleties to low pulsing rumbles, brushing the sonic spectrum. This album is a good example of Canadian-based, first-rate talent.