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HI TECH

A highlight of the post-millennium Underground Resistance catalogue, "Hi Tech Dreams" is composed by Mad Mike and is meant to inspire inner city kids to shun previous idols that further the capitalist manifesto, and instead look towards the future for increased information flow and social-political improvement. As usual, it's a wonderfully hard hitting message from the always political and pioneering Detroit camp.

"Hi Tech Dreams" on the A-side is rightfully celebrated as a pure vision of techno - even though it completely neglects tropes that would go onto inform the modern version of business techno that tastelessly fills stadiums of clueless phone-gazers devoid of soul and feeling. It's a true mastery of machines, squeezing ounce upon ounce of funk out of a reduced array of instruments.

On the flip "Hold My Own" slows the tempos and deploys a dystopian sound palette, tearing down the past and reducing all preconceptions to almost tangible audio-rubble. It's a stark contrast to the view of futuristic optimism displayed on side A and somehow perfectly encapsulates the political fire of Mike Banks and company without voicing any (comprehensible) lyrics. He lets the machines do the talking, and they speak a thousand words!

"Lo-Tech Reality", featuring vocals from Agent Chaos puts a definitive full stop to the philosophy; utilizing humming circuits and neck snapping drums to really hammer home the message of inequality and deprivation in certain urban areas.

Real top drawer tackle from 2007, repressed and ready for today's interstellar fugitives.


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Peak Mad Mike business here. One of my favourite releases by the Underground Resistance figurehead. "Hi-Tech Dreams" is the very epitome of Detroit techno - funky, futuristic, and draped in a moody shadow. Perfecto!

TRACK LISTING

A. Hi-Tech Dreams
B1. Hold My Own
B2. Lo-Tech Reality

Waajeed’s 2022 long player, "Memoirs of Hi-Tech Jazz", was an aural love letter to his hometown of Detroit; an amalgam of the city’s history, coalescing the personal, political and, of course, musical past.

From the Motown soul assembly line to J Dilla’s musically dense hip-hop to The Stooges’ proto-punk to the birth of techno, the music of the Motor City has spread across the globe inspiring countless artists who in turn went on to create their own forms and genres.

Emulating this movement and transmutation, the "Memoirs of Hi-Tech Jazz Remixes "12” sees artists from three continents repurpose elements from across the LP, transforming them into productions stamped with their own trademark styles whilst retaining the spirit of each original:

The UK’s Mark Broom loops sections of "Right Now" while speeding up the BPM for a classic UK-style techno remix. Ghana-born Yazzus takes on "The Ballad of Robert O’Bryant" adding a surprising number of twists and turns for a five-and-a-half-minute piece. Australians Jensen Interceptor and Assembler Code close the 12” out with their take on the album’s title and opening track neatly closing the loop, bringing us full circle to the start of the LP.



STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Techno heads got plenty of get excited about here as three producers get to grips with tracks off Waajeed's seminal LP. Hard to pick a favourite but the uplifting glow and tribal energy of that Yazzus remix certainly has me bum shuffling in my seat this afternoon.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Right Now (Mark Broom Remix)
B1. The Ballad Of Robert O'Bryant (Yazzus Remix)
B2. Memoirs Of Hi-Tech Jazz Ft. Black Nix (Jensen Interceptor X Assembler Code Remix) 

Second one from the Omar S signed, Detroit bass supergroup Hi Tech who seem to be piquing the interest of DJs and music lovers right across the board - including one Mr. Luke Unabomber! An intoxicating mix of booty, bass, tech and Motor City attitude; it's both alluring, cheeky and arresting in equal measure. It features a wealth of talent from the D - including Fullbodydurag, JMT, DJ Killa Squid, Quikkash, Milfie and many more. Some of the subject matter might seem a bit dated to us Woke UK residents, but the production chops more than make up for it. Especially in the thick, claustrophobic, inner city air smothering tracks like "Nu Munni", "Clap That A$$" and "Zooted".

Other tracks like "Shrimp N Grits", "Birthday Pearls" and "WhyYouFuggMyOpps" probe that skitty footwork / juke vibe wonderfully; with ghetto raps to make you blush. Then there's the totally batshit ones like "Glitch N Ass" (!!), (apologies) "Pocket Pussy" and "TakeOffOnnaPorsche". It's certainly an explicit and divisive selection from these rising street superstars! 


TRACK LISTING

1. Nu Munni
2. Money Phone
3.Clap That A$$
4. Shrimp & Grits
5. Zooted
6. Whyyoufuggmyopps
7. Glitch N Ass
8. Birthday Pearls
9. Pocket Pussy 
10. Takeoffinnaporsche
11. Teetees Dispo
12. No Games 


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