Ilian Tape Germany Vinilo y CD

Review: DJ Plant Texture is Donato Basile, a diverse producer from Bari. He returns to Munich-based Ilian Tape to follow up 2017's The Bongoman Archive with four slamming cuts on his latest EP. Whether it's pummelling, bass-driven ruckus of 'MPC Jam 1' (Breaks mix) or the off-kilter slam of MPC Jam 2' (Saturator mix) on the A side, to the proper, peak time heads-down stomp of 'MPC Jam 3' (Exp Forever mix). Finally, the early '90s zeitgeist of 'Ciao Ragazze Jungle Style' goes out all guns blazing. On the MPC Thangs EP, this talented Italian producer is at his most fearsome yet.

Review: Everyone's favourite low-res poly-rendered rave organism DJ Plant Texture returns to their fave label Ilian Tape for their least forgiving, least fluffy and most wayside-thrown techno EP yet. Contrasting to their earlier lo-fi MPC workouts and electro freak-shows, the best of which were also released on the Amsterdam imprint, Plant Texture here switches things up, offering up four jackbooted 4x4 techno bits so menacing that they verge on a dastard take on the Brummy school. An obsession with rhythm and percussive texture rears its head; A-siders 'DDrumz' and 'Mechanical Bongos' are truly intrigued by the drum, revelling in pure, circular samply bongo and timbalero repetition; the theme continues on B-sider 'Dubbish', which only does so much as add a scopeout dub chord stab to the mix, yet still sounds sick; 'Let The Machine Speak (Jazz Mix)', finally, seems to hold the work of fellow techy rhythmusoidal geek Machinedrum firmly in mind, seeming to cleverly parody the artist's Ninja Tune/Vapor City IDM era with a jeering nu-footwork-jazz half-smile.