SYNTECH: Only Ruins Remain/Decade 2xCD HANDS

SYNTECH: Only Ruins Remain/Decade   2xCD HANDS

Steffen Lehmann and Bjoern Boysen return here with a bumper package of their customary Sci-Fi electronica in the form of one full album and a remix disc. The double disc set in tall packaging is strictly limited.

‘Spindrift’ kicks off the proceedings with subtle IDM influences fluttering amongst futuristic bleeps and whirs and careful attention to background nuances reflect ranging pads and samples well.

The title track ‘Only Ruins Remain’ is paced well, with a firm grasp on spatial awareness and juxtaposition of beats and rhythm. Leaning more on breaks and industrial fortitude, a barrage of rhythms collide effectively to let the clean electronics and harmonies rise and fall with consummate ease; and melds well with the reverberated ‘No Sunlight’.

The tribal essence of ‘Deceptive Silence’ provides a break in futurism and thematically follows onto ‘Drive Hunt’; where the pace is upped dramatically, where beat upon beat is subtly added into a frenetic display of energy, that provides a cleaner living version of rhythms associated more with powernoise.

Syntech carry on the theme throughout the rest of the album, covering a multitude of genres emphatically played out in their own style; and overall, whilst sometimes drifting off into the minor gripe of being a tad samey, the quality is evident and impressive throughout.

Disc two as stated above combines a variety of mixes that compliment the thought processes of the original tracks themselves; Totakeke slide well into the mould of ‘Whiteout’ and it’s aural ethnicity, whilst Dirk Geiger provides a constant flowing evolution to ‘Phraa Jaan Naak’. The clever use of other artists that provide a different sound to the mix is evident with Dirty-K wrenching ‘Voltage Boost’ into Distorted Beat territory, with a necessary squelch.

Syntech, go from strength to strength with this latest release and the limited version is well worth picking up for collectors. Overall, ‘Only Ruins Remain shows that there is new life amongst the debris of stagnation in the rubble of a faltering scene.

9/10