Flawless and diverse EP on the self-titled debut of the Valis label will be among main takeaways of 2024. It features a somewhat unexpected coalition of two Spanish producers. Juan Rico aka Reeko, with releases on Pole Group, Modularz, and own-founded Mental Disorder, has been an epitome of 4/4 techno, though in his recent material we can find drum’n’bass and abstract breaks. Eduardo De La Calle, in turn, has been inward-looking master of balmy tracks. For example, his “Quasi Calligraphic” from 2013 is a true definition of beauty in techno and among my favorites of that decade. By using imagination and bravery, the two talents succeed in tweaking familiar sound narratives and create one of the year’s dance highlights as Valis.
Apparently, the roots of the A-side lay in the school of Basic Channel. The opener belongs to the same category as the well-received twelves by Erik Jabari and Fadi Mohem, if to mention the new generation of (faster) dub techno. The BPM curve goes up to 140 in the tight dub-foddered workout, which is hit by rocking UR riffs at the mid-track. In “Valis 01.2”, broken bubbling undertones remind of Helical Scan’s timeless “Index”. Bewitched effects and alarming noises add a psychedelic feel of escape rooms in disused Australian coal mines.
The rays of morning sun amid the avian chirps are decorating the start of the B-side. One can perceive De La Calle’s delicate bass tapestry, and Detroit is within reasonable distance too in “Valis 01.3”. It’s atmospheric compared to previous tracks, when tender pads and clicking machinery complement the full-bodied sound picture. For the end, in “Valis 01.4” acid lines undertake a minimalist journey over darkish and barren landscape.
Buy links:
Juno (UK)
Kompakt (DE)
Small Black Dots (ES)