Premiere: Spektre — Retrograde (Original Mix)
After more than a decade of experience in the industry, Paul Maddox and Rich Wakley have achieved a well-deserved veteran status in various sectors of the dance music sphere as Spektre. Yet, despite their expansive history, the UK-based duo has continued to operate in recent years with the gumption and drive of a recently-formed act, choosing to channel their expertise toward a more prolific output than ever, rather than resting on their laurels. In 2018 alone, the pair has released a staggering four EPs across labels such as Phobiq, Filth On Acid, and their own imprint, Respekt recordings.
Beyond the aforementioned, however, Spektre have notably become a fixture on Kraftek; Maddox and Wakley kicked off the year by releasing their Another Life EP on the imprint, returning just a few months later to provide a remix to Y-Traxx’s “Mystery Land.” And, if anything is certain in the evolving field of cosmic techno, it’s the guarantee that a Pleasurekraft endorsement is well worth all listeners’ undivided attention.
On Friday, November 30, Spektre will fittingly bookend the year with Back Into Consciousness, their fifth EP of 2018, and second for Kraftek. Spanning two tracks, the record demonstrates the group’s acuity for balancing their seasoned tastes with a knack for gauging the current pulse of the techno sphere, which Maddox and Wakley acknowledge in part when describing their inspirations for its second track, “Retrograde.”
“‘Retrograde’ really incorporates all the main influences from our musical history, with the emotive trancey arpeggios, ‘old skool’ amen break and retro vocal cuts. There was a risk of it being a bit of a ‘kitchen sink’ track with so many ideas in there, but it all came together nicely in the end!”
While the track’s retro-influenced components are immediately apparent amid its mystifying melodies and resplendently riotous breaks, there is a distinct timeliness to the ultimate final product. Indeed, while “Retrograde” may well be a “kitchen sink,” it’s this very aspect which makes it as appropriate for a contemporary ADE after-hours as it would have been in the darkened warehouses of yore.
Preorder the ‘Back Into Consciousness’ EP here.
Categories: Music