Ricardo Villalobos - Dependent And Happy (2012)

Ear-bending, trippy minimal techno from the master.  When first released, Dependent And Happy took the form of two and a half hours of music across twelve sides of vinyl; shortly afterwards, 11 of the 14 tracks were mixed down into this fully-segued 78 minute CD.  Airy, atmospheric and never boring even when it seems there's very little going on, this is expertly-produced electronic music that suits any level of concentration.  Traffic sounds, odd voices, minute variations in the drum tracks and more keep offering a fresh experience no matter how many times you return to it.

link

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Ricardo Villalobos at SGTG:

Fizheuer Zieheuer

Vasco

Re: ECM

Safe In Harbour

Plastikman - Sheet One (1993)

An hour of minimal techno, nice and acidy sounding (and famously including artwork made to look like a blotter sheet) from Richie Hawtin in the album that launched his Plastikman alias.  This hypnotically static music is at its best over extended tracks, and Plasticity is first to set off on a long, winding trip.  Glob and Plasticine are my favourites here for the same reason, and in between there are plenty of shorter ventures into creating near-ambient atmospheres, with the same evergreen bleeps and splodges of classic acid bass.  Eternally durable journeys for the mind and body.

link

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Robert Hood - Internal Empire (1994)

Classic minimal techno from one of the original Detroit masters.  Got hold of this one when I felt I was concentrating too much on Perlon-style minimalism and could do with an object lesson from the old school; this is minimal techno where although very little happens (subtle developments still always there for the discovery), it's melodic and full of machine soul.

All of the 11 tracks on this CD edition (the original 2x 12" had seven tracks in a different order, one of which is missing here) get straight to the point, and only average about five minutes apiece.  This self-contained approach, without segues, lets each track stand on its own merits - and they certainly do just that.  Home and Chase are my absolute favourites here, but more emerges from the others with every listen.

link
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Ricardo Villalobos - Vasco (2008)

Been in a massive minimal-electronics mood this past week, so here's some music from the maestro of minimal techno/microhouse.  Vasco, meaning 'Basque', was originally released as a pair of 12" vinyl EPs a few months apart, before this CD version ditched the remixes from the vinyl but added one new track, and massively extended another.  It works beautifully as a double-album length immersion into just how much can be done with so few elements.

Taking up the first 31 minutes is the epic Minimoonstar (Full Session), which as noted above only ran for 13 on vinyl.  Given such room to breathe, the listener can fully appreciate just how intricate a Villalobos production can be, and how audacious an envelope-pusher he's been at times.  Whereas Fizheuer Zieheuer/Fizbeast (link below) were based on much more spartan, beat-driven repetition, Minimoonstar's percussion programming is a delight in its constant variation.

The next two tracks match their vinyl counterparts, sans remixes.  Electonic (sic) Water is full of subtle clicks and pulses, with the occasional ear-blasting spike, and the wonderful Amazordum is the most relatively conventional track here.  Rounding out the CD is the previously unreleased Skinfummel, which samples dialogue from the French erotic thriller Nathalie... (2003, dir. Anne Fontaine) to great effect.  The claustrophobic, disorienting production makes for an unsettling, memorable closing track.

link
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previously posted at SGTG:
Fizheuer Zieheuer
Safe In Harbor