Resident Adviser 4/5

As someone whose tastes generally gravitate towards the deeper, housier shades of the 4/4 spectrum, the burst of the minimal techno bubble made for fascinating viewing. No other genre has been so weakened by the unlucky intersection of mainstream accessibility, the proliferation of desktop studio technology and that most treacherous of turncoats—coolness. As reformed minimalists back away with their hands up, post-minimal-minimal is left to refute accusations of cookie-cutter this and Ableton-preset that.

The unknown artist Och, from the new offshoot label of London's Autoreply, is a compelling witness for the defense, providing some of the suspense, attitude and musicality that minimal is often accused of lacking. "Stops Out" is inhabited by a walking-on-eggshells tension that wrings the atmosphere out of its empty spaces, while remaining entirely aloof. Like a modern day nod to Jaydee's "Plastic Dreams," it features an affecting Hammond organ sample as its centerpiece, but eschews that track's breakbeat for simple, thrumming deep techno, and snips of warehouse-era vocal samples and deconstructed drum solos, both of which thunder and recede of their own free will.

Barebones syncopation, shimmying hi-hats and high vs. low call-and-response synths give "Stops In" a skeletal afro-tech swing, before a more traditional tech-house beat eventually drags it into full view, surrounded by a fog of chilly pads. Anyone who has flirted with minimal in the past or present ought to pencil Och onto their watch list. He or she may not be reinventing the wheel, but they're reminding us that there's still some tread in it yet.

STUGA MUSIK 01 - OCH: Stops Out (a -side) - OUT NOW 12" / DIGI

review from Juno Plus: 

Hot on the heels of Och's epic “Stops Out” 12” for fledgling Autoreply offshoot Stuga Musik, the impressive boutique London imprint returns with this double dose of dancefloor moodiness from Apoena. Hailing from Porto Alegre, capital of the Rio Grande Do Sul state in extreme south of Brazil, the producer shows a knack for combining the deep sounds of house and techno with a Latin flair for rhythm and percussion. "Nuvem" kicks things off with shuffling snares riding along tension filled chords and a locked-in groove. But it’s the title track "Falando Serio" that takes the cake for us here, with warm chords and claps forming the backdrop to a killer drum pattern. A subtle beast. 

STUGA MUSIK 02 - Apoena: Nuvem (a-side) OUT NOW 12" / DIGI

From Juno Plus:

This release offers a response to the plethora of unimaginative, soulless and empty sounding minimal music that blew up out of all proportion in the mid 2000s. At a time when dance music is full of depth and feeling again, Och injects those sentiments into his minimal musings on this release. “Stops Out” provides the suspense, attitude, tension and overall musicality that minimal is often guilty of neglecting. The title track is engulfed in a wary tension created by deep bass and intense synth stabs. The atmosphere from the track rises up, seeping through the simple breaks and throbbing, deep techno. Cut up vocal edits that have an old school warehouse feel give the track even more personality but it is the affecting Hammond organ sample that really makes the centrepiece.

On the flip, “Stops In” falls into even deeper into atmospheric, almost sinister tensions. A skeletal afro-tech swing is set by shimmering hi-hats and low, murmuring sub bass that collides with chiming synths. As more of an orthodox techno beat picks up, the chilling pads stretch out over the track, giving it a totally enchanting and undiscovered feel. “Stops Out ” is a highly engaging, post-modern take on minimal music, or in other words, post-minimal minimal. By bringing more feeling to the disciplines of minimal Och is proving that there is still ingenuity in the genre. Top stuff.

STUGA MUSIK 01 - OCH: Stops In (b -side) - OUT NOW 12" / DIGI

Hot on the heels of Och's epic “Stops Out” 12” for fledgling Autoreply offshoot Stuga Musik, the impressive boutique London imprint returns with this double dose of dancefloor moodiness from Apoena. Hailing from Porto Alegre, capital of the Rio Grande Do Sul state in extreme south of Brazil, the producer shows a knack for combining the deep sounds of house and techno with a Latin flair for rhythm and percussion. "Nuvem" kicks things off with shuffling snares riding along tension filled chords and a locked-in groove. But it’s the title track "Falando Serio" that takes the cake for us here, with warm chords and claps forming the backdrop to a killer drum pattern. A subtle beast. 

STUGA MUSIK 02 - Apoena: Falando Serio (b-side) OUT NOW 12" / DIGI

Stuga Musik is an offshoot of London's Autoreply Music.  Available on 12" vinyl from Juno, Decks & most decent independent stores. Download from Juno Download & Beatport.

Stuga Musik

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