UMEK returns to his hardgroove roots with the return of his alias, Polyvinyl. He is also launching a new record label, 1605 GrooveSector, that will focus on hardgroove and raw techno.
Based in Slovenia, UMEK has a career stretching back to the ’90s where he was one of the artists that pioneered and established the original hardgroove movement. His classic Recycled Loops project released many seminal tracks that helped define what is now called hardgroove.
Throughout his three-decade career, UMEK’s sound has evolved to keep up with current trends, and he has remained relevant as one of techno’s most influential artists. Bringing back the Polyvinyl moniker takes his career full-circle, and he is once again embracing the improvised production style that first gained him global attention.
Polyvinyl combines the hypnotic machine funk of modulating synth lines with raw percussion loops that bring a tribal energy to the fast-paced grooves. Timeless, exhilarating, and revitalising, are all ways to describe the raw style of this masterfully produced techno release.
“Mechanically Intensive” opens the release with filtered percussion layered over a rolling bassline. The track unfolds with the introduction of jerking synth stabs that lift the energy of the offbeats, and the breakdown is augmented by a tense string pad.
“Da Flute” has a loose swing to the upbeat tempo of the groove, which is powered by shuffling percussion rhythms. The breakdowns introduce an exotic synth melody that has subtle Arabic influence, and this adds to the hot and humid vibe of the hypnotic groove.
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