DJ-Kicks: Apparat

Album Review

The selections on Sascha Ring's contribution to the !K7 label’s DJ-Kicks series date back to the early ‘90s, but there’s technically no looking back on the part of the DJ/producer. They’ve all been “recently discovered.” The majority of this set does originate from 2006-2010, incorporating lean dubstep and streamlined techno with a couple outliers. 69’s “Rushed,” released by Carl Craig in 1993, is easily the most physical and intense of the lot. Strangely, it’s deployed as the second track in the sequence. Very shortly thereafter, the mix switches from charging to relatively sedate — alternately melodic and abstract material suited more for home listening than clubbing. A handful of the highlights come off newer dubstep/post-dubstep 12" releases: Cosmin TRG's scuffling “Tower Block,” Ramadanman’s pinging/churning “Tempest,” and Joy Orbison's buoyant “The Shrew Would Have Cushioned the Blow” (the latter two of which were included on Scuba’s earlier Sub:Stance mix). Ring’s own “Sayulita,” an exclusive, is one of his most evocative, dynamic productions of late, full of space and percussive friction.