Sasse releases heady house soundscape Ani on My Favorite Robot Records

ReviewsReviews

Artist: Sasse
Title: Ani
Label: My Favorite Robot Records
Cat No: MFR145
Release Date: 24/06/2016
Genre: Deep House/Techno

My Favorite Robot Records have been firing out some stunning releases over the last few years with likes of H.O.S.H, Jori Hulkkonen, Fairmont and Chymera all making impressive appearances on the imprint. Run by production trio Jared Simms, James Teej, and Voytek Korab, the label has been catching ears with it’s own sophisticated brand of deep melodic techno and house. Here Finnish veteran Sasse, known for his releases on labels such as Berlin’s Moodmusic, produces a delicious slice of widescreen tech-noir which slots in perfectly with the melodic ethos of the label.

Related

The EP kicks things off with title track ‘Ani’, a brooding wall of analog synths driven ever onwards by a deep thumping kick drum. Clocking in at just shy of ten minutes, this is a real hypnotic trip into retro futurism. The track ebbs and flows within a textured soundscape of deep Blade-Runner style synth lines without it ever really going anywhere. Does it matter? Not really. Do androids dream of music like this? Probably…

Next up is the ‘Dub Mix’ which proceeds in a similar fashion to the original but throws in a smattering of sharp percussion to help push things along. The solid kick that punches through the original is toned down in favour of greater focus on the growling electro bass line. Again the Vangelis influenced lead lines and pads pan around the mix conjuring images of dystopian skylines whilst simultaneously sending 3am dance floors into mass hypnosis.

Finally Italian producer Lehar takes down the tempo slightly and puts his own emotive interpretation on the track. This time the focus shifts to those evocative futuristic melodies and shimmering 80’s synths. A great way to round off the package. Overall this is a solid addition to the My Favourite Robot Records catalogue. Fans of Innervisions, Solomun or even Digweed’s deep progressive take on techno will not be disappointed, with the original particularly capable of invoking some euphoric moments when placed in the right hands.


About the Author

Record collector, music maker and spurs fanatic Geraint Rees has been involved in DJing and club promotion for well over a decade. He is currently a promoter and DJ for the four:four project, a Manchester collective who organise club events that support a range of worthwhile charities and promote high quality music. Over the last few years he has produced techno as Acitone for labels such as Stripped and Hype Music. In his free time, he is found regularly inhabiting a dark box like hole known as ‘the studio’ and trying to rear his band of unruly cats.