- Italian techno artist Ascion's latest solo effort, Public Head, comes after a particularly dark and dirty record on Black Sun and a pair of moody cuts on a Modularz split release. His sense of adventure continues to yield positive results, as this EP, for the 3TH label he helps run, convincingly covers even more ground through five versatile tracks.
The electro-infused "Landescape" packs jittery synth riffs and a heavy backbeat together with a languid melody and an omnipresent bass drone. "Public Head," another broken-beat cut, dials up the BPM and the intensity. It exhibits more panoramic qualities thanks to some soaring pads and bells that call out amid the percussive furor. First on the heads-down B-side is "Acido Rosso," a distorted acid techno track, while "Xlight" tucks a 303 line into a somewhat faceless rush of drums—a fine peak-time tool but also the record's safest moment. Last but certainly not least is "Carnival," which features a rumbling low-end and a field of bleeps, sci-fi pads and echoing effects that evokes the more hypnotic side of Luke Slater's Planetary Assault Systems catalog. Ascion has released almost an hour's worth of music in the last few months and there's not a single dud to be found.
TracklistA1 Landescape
A2 Public Head
B1 Acido Rosso
B2 Xlight Verr2
B3 Carnival