IN an increasingly uncertain world of Brexit, Trump and Honey G (for
those of you mercifully outside the UK, check it here), what some of us need is
a great big comfort blanket. A
metaphorical one, naturally.
So it’s heartening to know that there are
still some
things you can rely upon. Namely, that if it’s intelligent techno with heart
and soul that you’re after then Gauss won’t let you down.
After
a cloak-and-dagger introduction on their eponymously-titled label a couple of
years back, Gauss have more recently been outted as the production partnership
of two respected old hands, Owen Jay and Natan H.
Jay
has considerable form not only on his own label Batti Batti but also for the
likes of Underground Quality, Moods & Grooves and Minuendo. Natan H is no makeweight
either having made his vinyl debut on Anton Zap’s excellent imprint Ethereal
Sound before going on to equally impressive outings on Finale Sessions, ManMakeMusic,
Mysterious Russian Soul and more.
It
is, indeed, those credentials that set Gauss apart. Because strip away the
veneer of techno and you will always find a touch of soul or deep house swing
in their joint productions.
They’re
back again with the label’s fourth release, hand-stamped on gorgeous red vinyl
and imaginatively titled, yep you guessed it, Gauss 04. The outstanding title
track Numerical Coefficients is
nowhere near as cold and prosaic as the name might suggest. For sure there is an element
of the mechanical and even automaton about it, but stirring synth swathes nudge
the piece in a more emotional and dare I say ‘human’ direction. Six minutes of
techno heaven.
Curvature is a cleverly understated number, one
of those brooding and deceptively melodic productions that has more pace about
it than you might think on first hearing and a very neat line in shimmery cosmic
synth work too.
Packing
a punch right ‘til the last, Differential
closes the EP with more bounce and swagger than Gauss have displayed previously.
And it ain’t half good.
Check out:
Gauss @ Juno
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