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| Rating: 8/10 |
Without Sandwell District, the year of techno 2010 would have been unimaginable. Regis, Function and Juan Mendez, quality producers in the battlefields of electronic music, were teasing the crowds throughout the year and as a culmination did an awesome album. The vinyl was sold out virtually in a few minutes and therefore a CD is most welcome. It’s not just the vinyl album in digital format because includes different versions and remixes.
Those familiar with SD know what to expect. Overall atmosphere is closer to ambient than floor techno but it’s not a “quiet” album. For example, two versions of symbolic “Immolare” sound like not being from the same family. While Function version is a floating journey, Silent Servant hits with a rhythm stick in a strobe- and smoke-filled track. “Blood Tide” with its dizzying groove has not lost any appeal in time and still keeps a good hit potential. Thriving stuff in “Hunting Lodge” and “Svar”, known from another single with live recordings in Berlin and Graz. Slightly different than others is “Speed And Sound” that inclines towards neo-trance and cosmic feelings.
SD’s blood circulation is clearly connected with the machines they work with. The album sounds as a result of careful production with clear ideas behind.