It seems to us that ‘hard techno' is getting a bit of a bad name recently…and it's not hard to see why. A genre that has traditionally been one of the more forward looking in terms of sound design and inventiveness has increasingly been hijacked by the super-high bpm schranz & hard-house brigade, and it's now very difficult to find decent hard techno producers that haven't moved over to the more lucrative minimal/electro-house market. Well look no further. Iron Oxide continues to push the envelope with both new and well-established producers that aren't afraid to nudge the meters well into the red, and the first part of ‘Rude and awake' features highly creative (but also slamming) contributions from relative newcomer Spewis, long-time noisemaker Bjorn Svin, and one of the very few female hard techno producers, Esther Ofei. Together they make a glorious noise, from Spewis's energetically edited bleep-a-thon to Esther's kick-heavy arcade-zapping thumper, via Svin's typically gnarly drum workout. All on a rather spiffing slab of orange & black vinyl. Essential gear for dark techno warehouses…
Various Artists "Rude and Awake" Iron Oxide 06 A1 - Spewis "crackerjack alarm" B1 - Björn Svin "909 steps down" B2 - Esther Ofei "they are things"
„Ariel there was a fire in your house they say, And that your bedroom is all up in flames. There was a fire in your house they say, They say you've been dancing with the devil. “