Svreca – Obscur (Semantica 18) – 9/10

Limited edition of 100 and handmade details are only secondary factors why to get excited about this record that is my first encounter with Spanish outlet Semantica and the work of the label head Svreca, by the passport known as Enrique Mena. Those seeking loud techno bangers on the release should look at somewhere else. Towards the end the hardness comes up but in an intelligent and mystic way.
The title track, “Obscur” is a floating drone signaling the eternal emptiness. Then Regis’s remix of “Utero” is atmospheric electronica with mystic background voices and reminds of earlier Aphex Twin and, more exactly, of Passarani’s LP “22nd Century”.
Change of mood awaits on the B-side: “Erosion” is a rhythmic tribute to Torsten Pröfrock’s T++, with subtle breakbeat and dark stabs. The rest of the B-side dips into claustrophobia and sinister deepness with “SS10” and “AW09”, the latter a bit reminiscent of Jeff Mills’s SITS series and being my favourite here. Both of them bite like outer space insects.
All tracks are in one go. The liner notes explain that Obscur is a gloomy-looking Swedish garment label that has two of the collections named called like to last two tracks of this EP.
Along with Exium, Sverca and his label are another proofs of Spain being on top of the current techno world, with a big chunk of innovation.