ROBERT HOOD Vinilo y CD

Review: A taster for Robert Hood's second Floorplan album, this EP puts a spotlight on the radical nature of his musical transformation. On "Music", the visceral rhythms of techno minimalism are gone; in their place is a rolling, tracky groove that boasts a repetitive vocal loop and which has shades of classic Relief /Derrick Carter. "Tell You No Lie" is even more impressive. It sees Hood use a gospel vocal over a stomping, funk guitar-sampling disco house workout. There is an audibly religious dimension to "Tell You No Lie," but Hood's knack for writing a great tune means that it sounds celebratory rather than self-indulgent or preachy.

Review: While Floorplan's line-up now also contains his daughter, Lyric Hood, for years the project was a solo alias of Detroit techno maestro Robert Hood. This two-tracker dates from that period, with both cuts originally appearing on M-Plant sub-label Duet way back in 2002. Two decades on, both still sound fresh and are excellent examples of Hood's full-bodied but minimalistic approach to Motor City techno. 'Shop' sees him layer looped organ notes, freestyle, high-register synth solos and angular electronics over a driving, locked-in techno beat, while 'Learn' is deeper and more hypnotic with plenty of energy-building TR-909 drum machine fills, psychedelic acid tweaks and faintly foreboding electronic riffs.

Review: Robert Hood's 'Alpha Key' EP is a future classic of the techno genre. The title track is a relentless, industrial beast with a pounding beat, rattling percussion, and tribalistic, mechanical overtones. Its energetic counterpart, 'Future Remedy', is a true crowd-mover with a driving beat, hypnotic chord progressions, and a euphoric atmosphere. 'Pathetic' takes on a darker, more introspective tone, featuring heavy chords, throbbing basslines, and a haunting, industrial soundscape. The EP concludes with 'Outsider', a relentless stomper with a crushing beat, layered rhythms, and an almost cinematic intensity. Overall, 'Alpha Key' is a great example of Hood's mastery of the techno genre, showcasing his ability to blend power, experimentation, and raw emotion.

Review: When Broom met Hood! To celebrate M Plant's 20th anniversary, Robert Hood is planning a whole host of events and releases including a sequence of 12"s that see classics and rarities remixed and edited. Who better to inaugurate the series than Hood's UK contemporary Mark Broom? Here Broom digs deep into the M Plant archives, choosing to work with "Untitled 1" from Hood's Moveable Parts series and "One Touch" from the Minimal Nation album. Canvas Hood fans and the majority will probably nominate the first edition of the Moveable Parts series as one of their favourites, so it's little surprise that Broom elected to add his own signature dirty funk to the opening track for this 12". His edit of Minimal Nation opener "One Touch" proves to be just as effective, playing toyfully with the bassline whilst dicing the beats with undoubtedly dark results.

Review: M Plant's 20 Year anniversary celebrations are set to end on a high with a triple CD compilation featuring a wealth of new, remastered and unreleased material alongside some classics from the Robert Hood canon. Before then, the latest in an ongoing series of celebratory 12" releases sees Hood look to the classic Protein Valve, which was the first 12" issued on M Plant back in 1994. The title track has already been subject to some edits as part of this M Plant 20 series, but it's nice to see three tracks from that original 12" reissued here as a reminder how Hood's pioneering minimal approach first took shape. Look out for new Hood production "Analog Track (Ghost)" wedged in amongst the protein too!

Review: ** Repress For The Hood Fans ** Emboldened by the reception to his overlooked and revisited Floorplan project, Mr Robert Hood turns to a track of a similar nature for the latest release in the M Plant Perpetual Masters series. The main slinky hook from Sister Sledge's "He's The Greatest Dancer" may have been subsequently bastardized by Mr Will Jiggy Smith, but Hood's minimal sampling of the same source on the 1991 track "The Greatest Dancer" must have sounded thrilling then. It still does today, remastered and is complemented on the flip by "Dancer", a new Hood jam that is as close to outright disco without losing that trademark Detroit grit as you can get.

Review: Stepping up with his first new material since the Monobox album in 2021, Detroit's minimal master Robert Hood is back with a heavy-hitting two track 12" on M-Plant. 'Hectic' is indeed the word as he fires off blasts of siren-like synths over a crushing rhythm section, pitched keenly at peak time and giving an upwards thrust in all the right places. 'Amazon Dust' gets a touch trippier with its circular bell tones and low frequency rumblings, but it's no slouch in the energy department either. The experience and instinct oozes out of this record - as if we'd expect anything less from such a legend of techno.