Artist : Marco Faraone
Title : Black Air EP
Label : On Edge Society
Release : 30th June (vinyl only)
Genre : Techno
The Black Air EP is an exciting release out of Italy on Carlo Lio’s Vinyl Only imprint: ‘On Edge Society.’ Deep and Dark are the two operative words on this one. It is not for the faint of heart, and is sure to be a favourite amongst diehard techno fans looking for that exclusive touch to their vinyl collection. Marco Faraone brings the classic tribal techno flavour out in full force, and is relentless with his barrage of bass and drums. Regal and Flug provide excellent remixes and reinvent an already great set of original tracks.
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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 EveThe vinyl fuzz is strong from the get go, as a deep thud-like kick and tom alternate in a syncopated fashion. This track feels like a dark and relentless trip into a hot jungle full of tribal drums, and ghostly sounds. It feels like the air will become very thick inside of whatever club it is played in, and breathing may certainly get a little harder to manage. I can see why it has the name ‘Black Air’. Slowly building amidst the drums, and taking us deeper and deeper into the depths of the club, a detuned synth jumps around the left and right channels – teasing us towards a heavy climax. This one is perfect for the middle of the night, when the crowd is already adequately warmed up and ready to be taken over by the DJ.
The Regal remix is a more aggressive take on the original mix. The cymbal work is what is important to note here. The change in cymbals signifies a transition from one part of the track to another, particularly with the use of syncopated hats to play off of the drums. Whether it’s a dark hat, or a ride, or a heavy shaker, the top lines on this track are off of the charts. This one is good for a prime-time mid-set bomb. It is also good paradigm shifter; in the sense that it could take the set from mid range energy to high energy instantly. It is perfect for a deep, intimate afterhours setting, where the party has been going on for a while.
‘Consumed’ features a more techno driven beat than its more tribal-esque EP counterpart ‘Black Air.’ Short closed hats drive the rhythm with 16th notes, while a crunchy 8th note shaker/hat stack comes in to solidify the top end. Echoing claps create the percussive atmosphere that can be felt resonating throughout the club, leaving the patrons not exactly knowing where that sound is coming from except for all around them. Like its predecessor, ‘Consumed’ has its bass line entirely made up of toms at various pitches and timings. This is a great prime time track meant to keep the crowd going into the late (or early) hours of the morning.
The Flug remix starts out with what I can describe as the most different drum line of the EP. This one is a more straightforward rhythm that is less of Tribal and more on the traditional Techno side of things. A dark sounding synth drives the mid range on the off beat, while a creepy background noise gets louder and louder – building into the climax of the track. The climax is surprising, and gets very empty and simple in comparison to the busy and spaced out buildup. I enjoyed the effectiveness and excitement of this arrangement. This is a great track to play a little earlier in the evening, just when the crowd is starting to get into it.
The Black Air EP was a pleasure to listen to and write about. This is one of those sets of tracks that people will be holding up to Shazam for months, and constantly being disappointed with not being able to find it. It is a secret weapon for the hard-working crate carrying DJs who appreciate the classic side of the art of DJing. We very much look forward to hearing more from Marco Faraone, and the On Edge Society.
