Dave Angel – Frame By Frame

Eleven floorpleasing Techno goodies. Soulful and very funky all the way - from the crazy hooklines right down to the bone of those relentless, pumping grooves.

No interludes. No "Look, mum, I can do ambient, too!"-fillers. No street credibility-seeking superdope downbeat skits. Just good old straight beats here.

"Counter Wave" and "Zulu" are two heavy, clearly Saunderson-inspired Detroit bombs. "On Point" and "Jet Stream" ooze positive energy and bring some good vibes to the floor with their cool breakdowns and twists. "Drop Top" and "Scots Warriors" take a stroll down Minimal Lane, but still keep the warmth which makes this whole album very enjoyable and accessible.

This collection of tracks has everything that made me fall in love with Techno around 1992. Genre boundaries were still vague back then, and you would hear elements of House, Trance, Progressive and Techno in the very same set - and just welcome every new tune with open ears and dance your good damn ass off to the music. I would not really call it an album - the order of the tracks works well, but more in the vein of a consistent deejay set (it's not mixed, however).

"Type E", produced together with Ken Ishii, even has the balls to (reponsibly) lean towards Trance aesthetics - snarerolls, anyone? - and boy, does it sound great! No nostalgia dust on this one, though - this sounds just as fresh as Techno should in 2012.

On "Frame By Frame", Dave Angel achieves far more than simply showing off his influences. You need roots to make a collection of eleven tracks bloom like this. No doubt he has 'em.