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Mark Broom, "From London With Love"

It's strange that near-legendary techno producer and Pure Plasticfounder Mark Broom feels the need to put out records on BPitch Control, a labelwhose buzzword, bandwagon status seems to have peaked in recent years.  Explanation could be that the A-side of From London With Love is actually aremix of an out-of-print 7” track of Broom’s from last year on the UnxploredBeats label.


BPitch Control

That Ellen Alliencommissioned this 12” based on her esteem for this track (“Twenty Nine”) is telling,as alone it is great example of Broom working with very simple additiveelements to rend an effective, driving track. “Twenty Nine” has great beat transparency with shuffling, groaningtextures giving the straight house beat a lot of room, seamlessly intensifiedin scope and force as the melodic synth part that binds the track isadded.  This melodic lead, just a fewheld, tense minor chords gives the track a gothic, IDM-ish feel with an strongintrinsic rhythm that does not harm, allowing a very substantial fade. 

The first track on the flip might be myfavorite if the least original; “Together” is more straight electro, juxtaposingpunchier, rough-edged rhythms with less homogeneous synth passages of chimingtones and a frozen, obscured female mumble ”Together.”  The last, “Rock N Roller,” is unlike anythingI’ve heard from Broom, practically an industrial track, recalling immediatelythe tinny shuffle rhythms  and ‘crowd’samples used in Marilyn Manson’s “Beautiful People.” 

Broom builds these elements (admittedlystrange and intriguing) into a clipped and stark techno headbanger that withits title makes me think of stadium venues rocking off their hinges, anextra-curious rounding-off for another worthy release for both artist andlabel.   

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