Every so often Matthew Dear returns to his Audion project, and here he brings it out of a long playing retirement lasting ten years. It is a chance for him to produce more minimal techno, keeping a closer eye to the dance floor as he hones his instrumental craft. ‘Alpha’ finds him on good form, flirting with a driving beat and acidic lines for ‘Napkin’, working his basic material to excellent effect in ‘There Was A Button’, or dropping a strong beat in ‘Sicko’. Clearly Dear enjoys the sharpened synth lines that Audion allows him to use, and ‘Zunk Synth’ delivers a couple of crackers – as does ‘Sucker’, which brings back the odd reminder of Underworld’s ‘Dark & Long’. As effective as its mesmeric cover art, ‘Alpha’ is the sound of a producer playing to his considerable crowd – all of whom are going to stay for the duration if this is anything to go by!
4 out of 5
Reviewed by: Ben Hogwood
