It seems it was like only yesterday when the phrase ‘minimal techno’ would have seen you receive blank looks from practically anyone who deemed themselves hip, but with its sudden surge in popularity, becoming the electronica genre de rigueur, minimal techno is slowly moving away from the back alley club to the boutique discothèques, from the underground consciousness into a more mainstream environment. Obviously, a genre that consists of repetitive nine minute bass loops can only go so far before becoming passé and filtering back into the unknown, but have you noticed how many electronica club nights have tagged the words ‘minimal’ onto their posters nowadays? So, before The Field gets used to promote some god awful drama show or Ricardo Villalobos is being romantically linked with Tara Reid, savor this dark minimal serving from two of Sweden’s finest DJs; Anders Ilar and Frederick Hedvall.

Melt is Ilar’s second collaboration with Hedvall following a 2006 12” on the Italian Defrag label, and also his second release in 2008, following on from the quite excellent solo work of Sworn. Those expecting a repeat performance of this may be disappointed, as Melt explores the darker natures of the dancefloor, taking on a much moodier and, if anything, down tempo approach. The 8 tracks on offer, plus two remixes from Arctic Hospital and Dark Recovery, are a mixed bunch, from style right through to quality; minimal, dub, techno and ambient are all prominent somewhere along the line and most tracks fall just short of turning a good song into something better, though they still combine for an enjoyable listen.

“First Avowal” sets the tone for the album as metallic sounds chime to fracture a hypnotic 4/4 beat, conjuring up some East German concrete wonderland, and “Fool” does little to dispel this image with its architectural rhythms. “Moist” and “Slip ‘n’ Slide” inanely plod along with seemingly no purpose to their existence, becoming severe structural weaknesses in Melt’s framework. Things pick up with “Lava” and “Second Avowal”, with both tracks shifting tempo and celebrating the deep, cavernous Basic Channel sound. The two remixes of “Lava” bring the album to a close, with Arctic Hospital adding an enjoyable change of pace with a heavy electro interpretation, whilst Dark Recovery offer a suitable finale by creating a droning ambience that mirrors the blissful “Icetoys” of a few tracks previous.

Melt is a well produced and technically astute album, but one that just feels a little bit too calculated and precise; there’s a discernable lack of any telling melody to bring warmth to the proceedings, creating a rather stand-offish approach to the listening experience. The minimal techno connoisseurs will definitely find enjoyable moments here, of those there are many, but it will merely act as a stop-gap until the next great release comes out. After The Field have reached number one, of course.

-James Ould