Following up an abundance of fantastic releases last year, Leonce activates 2021 with Research & Development, another radiant EP from the Atlanta club music prodigy on his own Morph Tracks imprint. Running with a more traditional techno viewpoint this time, the kicks are pounding and the bass is magnetized, often squelchy. Starting things off, Pink Champagne takes morphing acid and maneuvers it through grainy synths and slashy, mechanical clangs, with an almost electro vibe. An elastic baseline bounces along frantically with an assertive clap pattern on the title track, as guitar arps creep in and out. Built off an eerie scale of reversed strings, Axial unfolds into an Incredibly uplifting configuration of dense moonlit chord progressions, with classic open hats swinging along on the upbeats. Lastly, big animated Korg organs play with a tribal house hand drum break on Multiplexing, with 909 percussion weaving in and out. Masterfully crafted with a wonderful balance of tried and true tradition and innovation, these tracks will be in rotation with both techno purists and the scatterbrained DJs for years to come.