Joran van Pol is back on Minus with Edge, a fantastic four track EP that is his first on the label since 2013. In the years since, the Amsterdam based artist has set up his own FADE label and has continued to evolve his cinematic techno sound.
Previously, van Pol has also released on labels like Rejected, SCI+TEC and Ideal Audio, and has the support of all the big techno players who often reach for his tunes in their sets. As a DJ he is just as in demand, with headline slots everywhere from Space Ibiza to Time Warp all behind him. Having recently set up a new studio, he is still coming on strong with fresh inspiration and ever more essential grooves.
'Illos' opens things with seven spooky minutes of icy techno. Rolling rubbery drums pump away below, and the details up top make for an evocative soundscape with distant industrial sounds, groaning bass and razor sharp hi hats all filling your mind with imagery. Next comes title track 'Edge', another brilliant sonic landscape with tense chords repeating over ticking percussion. It's a track that builds tension throughout, and keeps you looking over your shoulder into the eerie blackness.
The perfectly high pressure 'Return' is one that locks you in and never lets up, with warped synths snaking above traintrack like drums and hits. A dark, rumbling bassline and the sounds of pistons releasing air all add to the intensity of this brain-melting bit of futuristic techno.
Last but not least, 'Frostbite' is then the most spacious and spooky offering of the lot. It has freaky alien sound designs scattered around the track with supple kicks driving the whole thing forwards. It's an absorbing cut that hurries along and takes you for a thrilling ride.
These are four more inventive techno tracks from one of the contemporary scene's brightest stars.
