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Different Strokes

Sterac

Mote Evolver
MOTE042D | 2015-05-25  
Having both been on the scene for over twenty years, Mote-Evolver's founder Luke Slater and Dutch producer Steve Rachmad are considered veterans of the techno scene – both outlasting the genre's various dips and flourishes in popularity. This considered, Rachmad's debut on Mote-Evolver seems all the more highly anticipated. Operating under his STERAC guise, Rachmad's inaugural contribution to the label comes in the form of four hypnotic, rolling drum-machine experiments.
Rachmad's formula across the EP is a spartan, uncluttered one. Even the track titles (Stroke 1 - 4) suggest he has taken some pains not to complicate proceedings unnecessarily, instead letting the music stand for itself. In the wrong hands the use of Roland 808's can feel like a tired cliché when it comes to techno, yet Rachmad's manipulation of the tool is nothing short of masterful. There is a buoyancy to his thudding rhythms, filtered hats shuffling effortlessly above raw 4/4 pulses. This trait is defined right from the offset - 'Stroke 1' marching forward steady and resolute. As with the rest of the release, the track has an abstract quality to it – the elements are processed heavily; filters and stereo-delays a common feature.
Across 'Stroke 2' even the synths used feel hazy and out of focus, jutting forward between Rachmad's stuttered rhythms. This and 'Stroke 3' both have a celestial space-age feel, like a satellite being gracefully travelling across the orbit. The EPs closer on the other hand, 'Stroke 4', is incontestably rooted to the dancefloor. Devoid of melody, the track is a frantic percussive workout, jagged claps and ticks jutting out between Rachmad's booming low-end.
As a whole, the EP maintains a perfect balance between holding a consistent theme, whilst still offering plenty of twists and turns along the trip. It is perhaps little wonder Rachmad's STERAC project has been garnering much acclaim in recent years - this EP in particular revealing a focus and clarity that only comes with years of experience.
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