Pod - The Vanguard EP

Although this EP nowadays is fully available as digital download and most of the tracks have been reissued on the dutch Rush Hour imprint a year or two ago - this CD single definitely is the real shit!

First of all, the artwork (Abdul Haaq, right?) is just plain beautiful and comes along with a lyrical little science fiction story printed on the back of the inlay.

Second, this sounds warm, dynamic and analogue as Techno only did in the old days. Yeah - you can tell me that's voodoo hoodoo over and over again, but to me this old CD sounds way better than the blown-up remastered versions. I'm not strictly against loudness and limiting, but I haven't come across one result until today where compression made an old, classic record sound better. Instead, it always spoils things real bad. Todays technology should be used on tomorrow's music - that's where it fits. Doesn't suit memories of yesterday, though.

These Detroit Techno gems here show Kenny Larkin sparkling with creativity, concept and emotion. A must-have that will hurt your wallet. But believe me - it hurts soooo good!

"Ah, that's the best of them!" said once to me the acclaimed Dutch Techno & Electro producer Steve Rachmad about Kenny Larkin's amazing release "The Vanguard" EP as Pod, a sort of a standard for the upcoming high-quality Techno that naturally became a classic.

I always wanted to hear all the amazing tunes of this Buzz release, first of all because I have heard an amazing soulful Techno tune with a breakbeats base and beautiful melodies in a live by the Future Sound Of London from the early nineties and was intreaged by the fact that it could belong to this EP.

Finally I had the chance to bring Kenny Larkin himself for a tour in my Country in early 2007, and while we were waiting for a flight on an airport, we talked about "The Vanguard". In order to clearify some misteries concerning this release, I asked him about a strange text on the B-Side label. "The text on B-Side was written by an ex-girlfriend of Carl Craig named Leslie Green, if I'm not wrong. Then, I gave Abdul Haqq the mission of creating the sleeve artwork."

Some days ago, Abdul Haqq confessed: ““I can remember imagining the concept and painting the illustration for Pod – The Vanguard about fifteen years ago. Leslie Green wrote a wonderful & short science fiction story about the concept”. It was a really odd text saying that there 'was a myth that evolved from behind the lush-green slopes of the Earth, where the rocks revolve to the rhythm of tintinnabular chimes. Once, when the sand turned to storm, the wind vaunted in a thunderous rumination plucking all growth from the Earth and planting their seeds in new ground. Ground in the midst of the longest draught.'

It was a really strange text, talking about the supernatural, the imaginary about strange creatures. When I started to understand the meaning of text and looked on the Sci-Fi sleeve I almost instantly realized that there was a whole culture behind it. Techno is a movement, and that could include other forms of art than music - a text or an artwork could be part of this movement based on Sci-Fi Soul.

Leslie wrote in the sequence: 'The land sweeled. It was pleased with its new union. Though normally dry and insipid, it became wetter and more slippery. The docile land was alive and grew roots of monumental strenght. From these roots grew a wondrous plant. A gold and silver rose, that gave off a delightful aroma and swayed to the sound of its own bells.' It was a so out of the usual story that I decided to look for the man responsible for the sleeve artwork, Abdul Haqq. His painting was a fantastic image of a humanoid creature spreading from a Pod in a multi-colored environment.

The end of the text by Leslie Green was even more thrilling: ‘The bells rang to the beat of ancient drums. The land vibrated. The plant jolted and a shell was broken, awakening a marvelous being. The being stretched and rose from the Earth. And at last it could breath.’ ’ I knew that Abdul would be the key character to elucidate this mistery: “I can remember thinking about the old movie, ‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers’ - but the fifties version. I thought what if the concept was developed more... The grid in the background represents a greenhouse - I imagined that these Pods would be grown in a type of greenhouse. In the root stage they would form human being and develop them like an embryo; once fully formed they would emerge from the Pod. The back cover featured a being forming in the roots”.

The wonderful mellow emotional Breakbeat-Techno tune I was talking about was on it – its name was “Northern Lights”, and this EP has other amazing compositions such as “Vanguard” itself. This is definitely a quintessential Kenny Larkin release.

For me it's 'Vanguard' - minimal bleeps and blurps wander along with floating synth chords giving it an outer space feel. I put this one alongside 'Depressurisation' by Drexciya for its beauty.

Essential!

Can confirm comments above, every time Kenny is releasing something it's pure quality for me. Beside the awesome "Northern Light" track I like this simple experimental "Lifeforms" tune. In conclusio I have to say both tracks are highlights of a true detroit classic. There is a story on the back of the cover which is written on the label of the B-side too.

I don't think Kenny Larkin has brought out a bad record yet. Northern Lights (IS THE TUNE!!!) filled with such heart wrenching emotion.This is definately up there with the Icon's & the Kaotic Harmony's. This is the true definition of Techno.