Minimal techno gets a bad rap sometimes, probably because of the glut of imitators out there who don't share the best artists' actual desire to experiment. Currently based in Manchester, Modern Love artist Andy Stott is one of a rare breed who can rightly be compared to luminaries such as Robert Hood and Basic Channel, as he carries the genre on into new, uncharted territory.
It's purity of aesthetic vision as well as sound that makes releases like 2006's "Merciless" so engrossing, the rich textures and dark ambience almost as rich as a spy novel. Stott clearly works within the traditional of Detroit-Berlin purist techno, and more specifically Basic Channel-influenced dub techno, with tracks slowly drawing you in as elements gradually evolve over muted but insistent beats. At the same time, he but somehow manages to embue his tracks with far more drama and emotion than earlier artists.
Stott incorporates a palette of sounds beyond those traditional to techno, most notably heavy bass inspired by the dubstep scene, while still maintaining a stylistic purity and consistency that makes such influences flow naturally.
"Merciless" in particular has a dark vibe that goes beyond the isolationism of most minimal and feels almost literary or filmic. Further setting himself apart from others in the genre, Stott incorporates a palette of sounds beyond those traditional to techno, most notably heavy bass inspired by the dubstep scene, while still maintaining a stylistic purity and consistency that makes such influences flow naturally.
It's his natural alliance with UK bass culture that has made Stott not just a revered techno producer on the pages of Boomkat and other trend-setting publications, but a favorite of DJs such as Mary Anne Hobbes.
