Driving, hypnotizing, purist hard techno out of Dallas. Gautham Garg, as his Decoder alias and here under Cratan, holds steady the keys to contemporary Midwestern US techno’s future. The A1 selection, Secondary, of his recent Fixed Rhythms 12″ (entitled Boulder) checks all the boxes for a techno hit – disorienting tom drums, winding and grinding acid bassline and equally relentless and changing song structure. It’s a killer, no nonsense way to kick off a record, sets the tone for a ready-to-rock techno EP and matches the minimal, efficient artwork design perfectly. Quintessential American techno right here.
Also, digging further into Cratan’s previous releases, I found this more uplifting techno ripper. Big tyme!
You can find the Boulder EP on digital and 12″, as well as the rest of his discography, on Cratan’s bandcamp page here.
Jackson Ryland 