Tripeo

Anipintiros

BY Asa ThomasPublished Apr 11, 2014

6
Tripeo has been Dutch techno producer Darko Esser's recent out-there white label side project. Esser's productions under his own name have always been straight-laced and cleaner, much more so than his excellent series of twelve-inches under the Tripeo alias.

Indeed, this newer moniker has added a much needed textural depth and structural ingenuity to Esser's productions while still doing damage on the dance floor. At first glance, the tripped-out pumping hypnotism pursued by Tripeo is suited to the full-length format. However, Anipintiros is not simply a longer collection of Tripeo imitations. Esser has dialed it all down, stripping back much of the fuzz and opting for more conventional booming techno atmospherics. The collection is solely aimed at the dance floor, with little ambient flab to speak of. Each of the eight tracks here seems to have been tasked with its own slice of techno narrative, from progressive opener to peak-time trip-out. Most of the album performs admirably in this respect, with each having its own slot on the imagined dance floor, but as a collection, Anipintiros unsurprisingly fails to translate into a cohesive listening experience.

This is by no means a problem for those looking for a bumper pack of bangers, but may try the patience of those wanting something beguiling to get lost in.
(Tripeo Records)

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