U.S. artist Roger Vellion aka LilRoj serves up four bass-heavy grooves with plenty of techno soul on his new release, Epigenetic. Following his recent releases and remixes on Fade Records, Subspec, Torque and Nude Photo Music, the Portland, Ore.-based producer once again shows his formidable production skills and the funky slant that makes his tracks deadly effective on the dancefloor. Frangible starts things off with a deeply hypnotic, stompy rhythm. LilRoj creates a strong minimal character for the track with stylish effects, bursts of atmosphere and constant modulation, plus several killer breakdown sequences. Epigenetic is a moving slice of four on the floor dancefloor material. Strong melodic content makes for a deep and uplifting vibe, while driving percussion rooted in classic techno adds edginess. Next we have Psychoacoustics, which crosses into modern dub techno territory. Stripped down and deep sounds pervade this track, making for a really smooth journey. Valence closes out the EP with a unique hook and surprises us at every turn. ...
