DJ Valium* - Deepfrozen Technology / Trip To The Northpole

An epic ep in every way and not a one track pony either. This is one of the eps on Gigolos that hasn't dated in any other way apart from getting better sounding with age. A million miles from the electroclash that defined the label - this is absolutely crammed with the sort of ideas you wish were found on more 12"s. It's classic techno with incredible melodies intricate structures and particularly for "Trip to the North Pole' boasts absolutely huge sounds that beg for the loudest play possible. Thankfully it doesn't look anywhere near a certain city in North America for it's inspiration and deep sounds and instead creates the sort of powerful emotive and distinctive tracks that make you feel all the more weary about European producers who just set out to ape the Detroit sound. Why bother when people soaking up their own environments can come up with original stuff as good as this? Up there with the work of other producers like Johannes Heil who came to fame at the time with similarly inspired work.

The mad Belgian is back. DJ Valium's work covers a broad range. This record fits into the tempo range of techno, but style-wise seems to have more in common with the VDD Energise material he's done for labels like Six-Sixty-Six and Future Galactic. Distorted bliss.