Oliver Huntemann: Paranoia

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  21 Nov 2011 in Review

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Techno doesn’t get a lot of respect or wider recognition in electronic music these days. More prone to conjure stereotypical imageries of E-laden youths in dingy underground London clubs than music critic acknowledgment, it is fitting that Oliver Huntemann’s Paranoia happens to be released at this point of the genre’s growth.

With it, not only he demonstrates why he’s gotten a rep as one of the undisputed producers of techno, his dark and intricate production also shows that techno is more than just the sum of its more popular parts. Take ‘Rotten’ for example, featuring spoken word vocals looped over a mechanical beat, the song is more concerned with drawing you to its moody core than making you spaz out to catchy loops. Even dancier tracks ‘Delirium’ and ‘Dark Passenger’ have darker overtones, both showcase industrial soundscapes filled with synths, heavy bass and chest-thumping rhythm that would make you do what the former won’t.

‘Phantom’ is the perfect track for technical heads to marvel over the skilfully programmed synthy beats and ‘Magnet’ expertly shows Oliver’s versatility as a producer with its spacey minimalism. Paranoia is dancefloor-friendly techno that is just as danceable as it is dark that would please existing fans of the genre as well as newcomers.

LISTEN TO: ‘Phantom’, ‘Hope’, ‘Delirium’
IF YOU LIKE THIS YOU’LL DIG: Stephan Bodzin, Boris Brejcha, Spektre
RATING: 3

Hunt for more techno at www.huntemann.tv.