Belgium-based producer Dany Rodriguez LP Galaxies Compared, released through his own RMR label, is a demanding album that requires patience and an affinity for minimalist techno, but if you possess these traits, you'll find much to enjoy in Rodriguez's long-form excursions.
It's apparent from the start that Rodriguez pays little heed to temporal restraint. Opening track "D'story" starts with an undeniably cool synth line, a claustrophobic flurry that builds in intensity like some burgeoning galactic event. However, three minutes later it's still throbbing along, without having developed in any meaningful way, and it continues that way for another three. This is the main problem with Galaxies Compared, an album that nails the tone and sound palette of the Detroit heavyweights Rodriguez is obviously influenced by —the length of some of these tracks doesn't completely measure up when it comes to dynamics. Part of what made artists like Hawtin, Acquaviva and Wink so seminal was their ability to unite a minimalist approach with an impeccable ear for timing; it's the hidden key to minimalism, and not everyone finds it easily.
It's perhaps unfair to compare an up-and-coming artist to the achievements of his legendary influences, but it's a mark of respect, as well; Rodriguez's name definitely belongs in the conversation. Indeed, his production is slick, and he conjures a frenzied version of outer space that is refreshingly distinct from the sprawling wide-angles that other artists approach the concept with. Surely his best is yet to come.
(RMR Recordings)It's apparent from the start that Rodriguez pays little heed to temporal restraint. Opening track "D'story" starts with an undeniably cool synth line, a claustrophobic flurry that builds in intensity like some burgeoning galactic event. However, three minutes later it's still throbbing along, without having developed in any meaningful way, and it continues that way for another three. This is the main problem with Galaxies Compared, an album that nails the tone and sound palette of the Detroit heavyweights Rodriguez is obviously influenced by —the length of some of these tracks doesn't completely measure up when it comes to dynamics. Part of what made artists like Hawtin, Acquaviva and Wink so seminal was their ability to unite a minimalist approach with an impeccable ear for timing; it's the hidden key to minimalism, and not everyone finds it easily.
It's perhaps unfair to compare an up-and-coming artist to the achievements of his legendary influences, but it's a mark of respect, as well; Rodriguez's name definitely belongs in the conversation. Indeed, his production is slick, and he conjures a frenzied version of outer space that is refreshingly distinct from the sprawling wide-angles that other artists approach the concept with. Surely his best is yet to come.
