Artist : Eric Sneo
Title : Intensity LP
Label : Tronic
Cat No : TR138
Date : 28/04/2014
Genre : Techno
Review by Andy Howarth
You find me at the tail end of a trawl through some of the most tear-inducingly dull music i’ve had to sift through in many weeks. Reviewing new music is not always a barrel of laughs and i’ll be brutally honest, I was close to throwing in the towel… that said, i’m extremely glad I didn’t, because if I had i’d have certainly missed out on Eric Sneo’s new album released on Christian Smith’s thundering Tronic imprint.
Eric has been around for a very long time now. I remember acquiring Techno EP’s of his on vinyl way back in the day, and his was always a mark of quality. It’s evident that he has definitely moved with the times, and his punishing pacey Techno sound of yesteryear has been replaced with a far more current sound, which shows that he’s kept his finger firmly on the pulse in this ever-adapting scene of ours.
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We braved the arctic blast and ventured up to Glasgow to see the return of Glasgow’s prodigal son, Lars Sandberg (aka Funk D'Void) for a hometown gig on New Year’s EveNot one to dick around with ambient introductions or experimental soundbites, Sneo dives straight in with the full-bodied beats and rolling basslines. His opening salvo offers no illusions that this LP will be gentle on the listener, and indeed by the time he’s into his groove as early as the second track, you’ll be ready to hit the floor. Album openers ‘Hustle & Bustle’, ‘Immediacy Of The Moment’, and ‘Process Work’ are unbridled examples of Tech-House at their finest, and pave the way for the aggressive tone of the release. If you’re familiar with the Tronic sound and its unparalleled ability to straddle the gap between Tech-House and Techno, you’ll be in familiar waters with Eric’s album. Brooding looped Techno such as ‘Facility’ and ‘Roulette’ are strategically placed alongside melodic cuts like ‘The Flow’, and sequenced so as to build towards the climactic drums of ‘Bongofreak’, a twisted 6am tribal-influenced brute that closes out the LP with irrevocable and unsympathetic efficiency.
As a whole, Eric’s Intensity LP is an unqualified success, and a release both he and Christian can be very proud of. There’s far too much in the way of lazy and unoriginal electronica these days, and (for this reviewer at least) thumping albums like this one often mean the difference between throwing your headphones out the window, or signing off your closing statement with a smile on your face.
Bravo Mr Sneo, Bravo indeed sir.
Track list
01 Hustle & Bustle
02 Immediacy Of The Moment
03 Process Work
04 Roulette
05 Let It Roll
06 Cyberdellic
07 Leaves In The Air
08 The Flow
09 Metanoia
10 Facility
11 Bongofreak
