Artist: Hydergine
Title: Light Infusions
Label: Ranges
Cat. #: Ranges09
Format: Limited 180g 2×12” / digital
Release Date: 30th May 2020

Italian dub techno maestro, Hydergine returns on his own Ranges label with a double EP of delightfully deep grooves.

Hydergine has been pushing his spellbinding electronic sound for almost a decade now, dropping vinyl focused releases on labels like Minimood, Phorma and Knotweed, as well as his own Ranges imprint. The artist hails from Italy’s deep south and took his production moniker from the mood altering smart drug of the same name. His music is characterized by subtle electronic textures, floating soundscapes and a penchant for the raw sounds of dub techno.

‘Light infusions’ opens up the A side with ‘Escape’ an entrancing and beatless eight-minute intro track that perfectly sets the scene, before ‘Therapeutic Flow’ brings a gently driven and hazy groove to bear. The flipside begins by offering a collaboration with Copenhagen’s Mikkel Metal as the pair deliver ‘Blue Lotus’, a hypnotic and engaging affair build around whispered hi hats, cosmic synths and understated melodies. The first slab concludes with ‘Gamma Ray’, as Hydergine journeys into deep techno territory with a dinstinct Detroit feel.

The second 12” opens with a track featuring dub techno veterans Merv, known for their 90s productions on Dancecop, as well as more recent offerings on Minimood, Subwax BCn and more. ‘Phrases’ see the pair working with Hydergine on the excellent ‘Phrases’, a supremely dubby piece that builds slowly but intensely across its eight-and-a-half-minute duration. ‘Retrofitted Future’ takes a slight darker turn with a heady and muted approach before we reach another collaborative effort, this time with Detroit’s Luke Hess. Hess needs little introduction to fans of quality techno with a discography that takes in Rekids, Planet-e and Echocord. Here he gives his input on ‘Pervasive Depth’, a true gem of a cut that fuses the deepest of dub techno with an inspired arpeggiated top line. The packages closes out with ‘Landscapes’, a final opus that sees Hydergine join forces with France’s Audub for the perfect final piece in the puzzle.

This is a stellar offering from a producer who never fails to deliver.

Tracklist:

01 Escape
02 Therapeutic Flow
03 Blue Lotus (ft. Mikkel Metal)
04 Gamma Ray
05 Phrases (ft. Merv)
06 Retrofitted Future
07 Pervasive Depth (ft. Luke Hess)
08 Landscapes (ft. Audub)