Fabric 31 features techno stalwart, Marco Corola, who has leapt onto the Swedish/German minimal train and found himself a new style, new records, and a Fabric cd to showcase it all on. The beats are wobbly and stripped down to their basic elements. The basslines are thick and thump as the requisite backdrop. Kick drums jump in and out as we travel down a minimal road filled with some meoldy, but mostly bleeps, blips, and all others forms of electronic sounds. The mix is generally funky, chilly, twisted, and extremely techy, but it always stays minimal. These records are as underground as it gets and this is underscored by the complete lack of vocals. If you love minimal, you'll enjoy this cd. If you don't, best skip it. This is not the beginner's route....this is an insider cd. The type of cd where other dj's hear the tracks and go buy them.

That said, i'm sure this sounds great at afterhours at Fabric in London or Love in NYC, basically a dark club with that underground vibe, crowd, and atmosphere. And there are some standout tracks to consider: Mark Bois-You Got Good Ash with its rhythmic bells and funky bassline, Marc Houle's track Kicker which brings the BPM's and energy out, and the deliciously tripped out Pecan-Microfunk which is probably blowing up underground clubs all over the world. Overall, this is underground minimal music at its finest (if you like minimal music) and it is delivered by a pretty unlikely source, Marco Corola, who's clearly staking his claim in the minimal game and has the programming skills and records to do so.

Reviewed by Greg Lustberg

Tracklisting:

01 - Matt John - Io - Underl_ne
02 - erikOtanabE - Eclat and Prudo (Alfa Romero Rmx) - MiniSketch
03 - Chris Carrier - Sure Shot - Adult Only
04 - Marek Bois - You Got Good Ash (Gabriel Ananda Rmx) - Trapez
05 - Fusiphorm - I am...you! (Someone Else Rmx) - FoundSound
06 - Timo Anttila - Nakuta - Frozen North
07 - Barem - Cilindro - FoundSound
08 - Mathias Kaden - Snowman - We Are
09 - Paco Osuna - Cretine - Plus 8
10 - Fraktion - Acidrop - Resopal Schallware
11 - Marc Houle - Kicker - Minus
12 - Audio Werner - Onandon - Perlon
13 - Dolly La Parton - Whenever - Bemysheep
14 - Microfunk aka 2000 and One and Dave Ellesmere - Pecan - Remote Area Records
15 - Details - Change - Loose
16 - Dario Zenker - newbe (Heartthrob's are u gay Remix) - Esperanza
17 - Ernie - Escarabajos - Signs Of Authority
18 - Alex Smoke - Plunder - Soma

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