PM> was listening to my ole purposemaker comp last nite. Jeff was definitely PM> onto something with those tracks. they are very funky & abstract, deep PM> too. Interesting to hear tracks like 'casa' and 'the dancer' where the PM> kick is surprisingly low in the mix and the groovy loops & percussion PM> are the main elements. kinda like it's upside down or something. very PM> techno. I have managed to avoid being exposed to much in the way of PM> looped bangers but if these PM tracks are what started that trend, boy PM> did they get it wrong.
What Mills got really good at was restrained intensity. Sure, Mills could pummel you senseless, but where's the fun in that? Instead he dances at arm's length, staring you down, and only jabbing when you least expect it. The biters nearly always missed that restraint, opting instead for unrelenting intensity, which is ultimately much more tiring to listen to. What's that one track towards the end of that compilation? . . . 12 or 14 is the number . . . there are like three or four filtered chord stabs in the whole thing, but the anticipation that builds between them is powerful stuff. Like a distant machine gun firing 95% blanks . . . just when you get your nerve back *zwip* another live round nicks your ear and a little phosphorus jumps down your shirt. The art of hard techno is in knowing when to hold back, and when to come out firin' . . . ------------- the other Prince of techno ------------- Brian "balistic" Prince http://www.bprince.com - art and music
