Adam Beyer & Henrik B - Sound Identification

'Kushido' will sort you out middle of a warehouse party and 'Constellation' is a dark slamming superb Sweedish track as well. Strong release with great components.

One of the most useful and popular releases on the frequently subpar Drumcode label. The Swedish brothers in arms Adam Beyer and Henrik B team up for a double pack of block rocking, funky and loopy Scandinavian techno beats that left no stone unturned back in the day. Be not confused though, as this is the same formula which got the label and its artist roster where they reside today; crispy clear and loud 4x4 beats, booming bass lines laid over tribal or funky arrangements – and away you go. The typical Purpose Maker recipe, however the music is much harder. This release was an above average club/DJ favorite for two reasons, and those would be Signal 9 and Kushido; the first with its tingling hook and the spiraling, elusive and untamable lead sequence which is literary all over the place during the track’s duration, and the latter which is a proper take-no-prisoners techno banger, for the mentally ill ones seeking shelter in underground techno dungeons. Nasty, abrasive, with a creaky tyrannical break that will oppress even the most enduring individuals, forcing them to grind their teeth in agony. Most definitely the stand out track here and the finest tunes these two have crafted together. In my opinion these two tunes validate the purchase, and are the sole reason why I come back to this release as often as I do. That said, there are a few more noteworthy numbers here. Personally, Vocal Image gets blood pumping through my veins at double speed, with its bouncing, juicy bass, and the catchy high pitched vocal applied as a hook – nothing but proper dance floor techno done in a manner it should be done in. Then there’s the high velocity Remember Me?, with shuffled hi-hats, the old school “come on!” sample and the effectively used “mentasm break” here and there, which is a great crowd teaser. Other then that, the other tracks follow the trademark Drumcode pattern, yet somehow excel at it better than a fair ninety percent of the imprint’s output, but since I never really was a fan of the sound this label generally pursues, I can’t say they quite cut it for me. With that in mind, Signal 9 and Kushido are epochal techno cuts, and make this entire release worth owning. Throw Vocal Image in the loop, and you have a Drumcode release with three stellar tracks, which already on its own is enough to make me give “Sound identification” my highest recommendation. Along with the early Drumcode releases such as Cari Lekebusch’s “Rahangel me”, “Vaensterprassel me” and Adam Beyer’s “Tasty bits” and to a lesser extent “Remainings III”, this stands as the highpoint of the label’s catalogue.