Shed - The Killer (Double 12" vinyl, CD)

The other great techno release of the week from me and it's another stalking rumbler courtesy of the much admired Shedmeister. His music does seem to be retaining the tougher, creepier edge that sometimes reared its head on The Traveller with hard rolling kicks, disembodied vocal edits and murky synth washes on the excellent 'Silent Witness'. This track is embellished with a superb granular effect that rustles all the way through. Onto the fierce dystopia of  'I Came By Night' with its apocalyptic synths and primal cyclic thud, this is warehouse techno of the highest order, kind of Ancient Methods heavy, if you've ever been subjected to their particular brand of amazing techno concrete you'll imagine how exciting this sounds.

Once again his attention to the surface minutiae throughout is incredible, making something fresh and arresting out of the basest elements. The overall BPMs on this album are a little slower than his earlier work and leave you with a more profound listening experience than ever. This is dense, chunky ominous music with some cracking rhythms and yearning melodies and lush ambient touches laid on top of the pummelling breaks. I'd go so far as to say I even prefer this to his last outing which was a less consistent listen for me, there's a more coherent identity to 'The Killer' that rather than be strangled by its cheesy moniker actually lives proudly up to its name. A deep, brooding record with a forceful, mercurial outlook.