KNTXT Vinilo y CD

Review: Charlotte De Witte's KNTXT label is one of new school techno's most influential and has very much helped to take techno into harder, darker, trance-tinged realms in recent times. Alignment is one of the artists who has helped with that and now serves up more blistering cuts on the Close Your Eyes EP. The title track is a monstrous opener with bright synths and serrated saw-shaped sounds cutting up the flat-footed drums. The hard techno vibes continue on 'Deep Space' and more trance energy washes over 'Dance For Me' which is decidedly 90s in vibe. 'Fight For A New World' closes down with the sort of hands-in-the-air energy of an epic festival anthem.

Review: Charlotte De Witte has long been a leader of the new school of techno. Her sound is tough an uncompromising and borrows from trance, hard techno and ambient often all at once. Her own KNTXT label is where she releases it and that is where she appears once more now with another fierce peak time EP. 'Power Of Thought' has big unrelenting drums, guying acid and some subtle smoked words for maximum anthemic effect. 'Pria' then brings some Middle Eastern melodic and vocal exoticness to her tightly clipped techno grooves and 'Abada' is a dramatic and cinematic ambient closer.