Juan Atkins will always hold a place in Detroit royalty, so pretty much anything he does now can be referenced in hushed tones. Thankfully ‘Digital Solutions’ – his first album as Model 500 in sixteen years – is up there with a lot of his best material and demonstrates techno’s incredible staying power, working as it does with some of his older ideas and material. Although a lot of the album is rooted in his hugely accomplished past, Atkins has clearly taken on an influence or two in his writing, such as the incredibly sharp bass he gives to ‘Encounter’, before drifting into an airy keyboard break. Meanwhile ‘Storm’ has an incredibly satisfying punch to its kick drum, while ‘Station’ is smoky and atmospheric. Classic techno has never really gone out of fashion – so if his record ain’t broke, then why the need for Atkins to fix it?
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
{http://soundcloud.com/sun_scape85/sets/model-500-digital-solutions}
