Convextion - Convextion

This album questions techno, what it should be about and what the future holds for the genre. Questions which perhaps don't have answers, just opinions.

This is not an innovative album, unless you call the fusing of a few subtly different styles "innovation". It is quite easy to copy the styles to some degree of the well known and heralded producers, but you will never recreate the pure artistic integrity that they bring to their music.

What has been produced however is a "good" techno LP, very listenable with some quite excellent tracks. If this was released 5+ years ago people would be calling it a classic. The tracks are executed well, but offer nothing new. So in equal measure to it's goodness, we have a limiting factor. It's the sort of album that leaves me concerned by the lack of direction and brings me to question what's new in techno, where is this music heading?

Then again, should techno be about innovation? How many chord progressions and production techniques are left to discover or expand upon. Hasn't techno always been about pushing boundaries, offering a glimpse forwards in time? This ablum does none of this.

It's quite easy to get hung up on this, in some way is a little depressing, but if you can get past this problem then this Convextion LP is really a very good amalgamation of the last 10 years of techno and as such is very enjoyable.

i think everyone is over analyzing this record a little. It's quite simply put a well produced, nicely executed detroit album. It doesnt claim to be anything its not, its deep, emotional, very nicely produced, happy days as far as im concerned.

Love it

This album leaves me suspended between space and time. Somehow I sit remembering the past 15 years of techno music as it has evolved (with Mr. Hanson's help, no less) and yet I am simultaneously drawn to the fine detail of this moment. How is it possible that someone could provide such subtle elements of depth and clarity on one piece of vinyl? I know - he's fxxxing brilliant - that's how.

This IS a good album, of good techno, of course who would expect any less from Mr Hanson? After a few superior records released sparsely over the last decade or so, Convextion has had a slew of recent releases with a lot of hype generated within the, (dare i say it) complacent techno community.
This record has definitely suffered from over exposure before it's release, this wasn't helped by the manner of its release either, it's a trainspotters dream, which creates instant collectibility, and thus instant saleability. As i write this about 3 months after release there are 20 copies (mostly unplayed) up for sale just on discogs, at varying prices which will no doubt increase with age.
Is it worth it? A hard question to answer, but i would say if you wanted to get someone into the deeper form of techno, this is a good a start as any, (and better than most) but, if like me you've been buying and listening to techno for over 15 years then you can live without it. There aren't any innovations, true, but most innovations these days create sub-genres, whereas this release is firmly in the warm, spacious, Detroit Techno arena, and is written by Convextion, and hence destined to become a classic regardless of what we may think. Regarding it sounding like other Detroit or highly influential Techno artists, well, yes, of course it bears some resemblance to them, dont forget Convextion has helped formulate this branch of electronic music it wouldnt be techno otherwise would it?

I have tried to write about this album, numerous times but the words always escape me. If you looked up the word, "deep" meant in reference to sound, (sonorous) or rich body of musical composition you would find this album listed somewhere in that definition. This album has so much hidden depth somewhere beneath the surface most people choose to ignore. I hate to use any comparisons as most people choose to, as it makes the artist sound cheap and the recordings that of second rate new comer. That is not the case by any means with Convextion, this album in particular (as in most of his work) has something entirely unique an underlying depth 100,000 feet beyond the normal sonic threshold. I choose to believe artist like Derrick May, Juan Atkins & Carl Craig wouldn't have supported Convextion's material and lisenced it 10 times over, if he weren't anything but innovative, expressive and full of heart. It is also my opinion this album has all the character, richness and body Juan Atkins had in his Infiniti and Model 500 (think starlight) days, when he was pioneering the future sound of Detroit. If imitation is the sincerest flattery then I am sure Juan Atkins or Derrick May would have no problem supporting this album. I always hear the reference to Basic Channel, I have listened to this album for months even before release (thanks gerard!) and i still don't understand why people keep making the reference to them? Have you listened to basic channel?? Not sure where it is on here, I would tie it more closely to Juan, as you know, Jazz is the teacher.... I give this album 10 stars and couldn't recommend it more to the world, it's not HYPE, it's just GOOD!

Funny, I just said to myself that I should finally get my ass in front of the computer and write this review of Convextion's latest album and now I surprisingly notice that there actually seem to be people out there who anticipated my opinion of it.

Which briefly is that this record has (been?) turned into a big hype in the first place. While some people propagated it as "rare before it was even released" (sic!) due to initial shortage which was claimed to be a "limitation" and later on compensated with several voluminous represses, others handled it as an already-classic, probably before they even heard it. Though, as a matter of fact, the Texan project's self-titled album debut only delivers very few innovations, if any at all. A little something of Model 500's "Deep Space" or "Sonic Sunset" here, bits of Maurizio - maybe even some Chain Reaction - there, a couple of elements from Kenny Larkin's "Metaphor" on top... hell, why not add some Red Planet or Derrick May, too? And what comes out is the "best Techno album of 2006".

Not. Whilst one can't deny a certain ambiance to this album as well as a nice sort of modern Techno-coolness, the excessive use of above mentioned musical quotes and the too easy accessibility quickly strain the exigent listener's interest. Come to think of it, the comparison with e.g. Basic Channel is somewhat deficient as "Convextion" completely lacks of the edginess good Techno used to have. "Deepness" isn't achieved by just lush sounds and a couple of dubbed loops. It needs contrast and it needs a certain level to take you on until you can let yourself drop on it. "Convextion" makes it way too easy for you and leaves you with a passable album that may be nice to "just listen to" but completely lacks of artistic finesse. Just like the cover artwork.

I really don't understand what the fuss is about with this album, it seems to be a total rip-off of other artists.

There's one track that seems to be a reject from Red Planet 6, another from Model 500's Deep Space album, and another is just Basic Channel etc. The list of goes on.

The entire Mid 90's Detroit Techno scene has been blatantly copied. I have no problem with artists having influences, that's a world of difference between being influenced by something and shamelessly ripping it off.

No doubt, this is the best new Detroit techno record from 2006. The emotional sounds and rhythms are a pleasure to listen to. I was so lucky to get one these days, i will never sell this record.

Gerard Hanson really made a instant-classic Detroit techno release here. Expect deep, minimal and soulfull electronic music.