There’s a juggernaut approaching and Bryan Zentz is at the wheel. Plus 8’s latest recruit is one of the unsung heroes of the US techno scene with a career that stretches way back to 1994 and a debut release on the Hawtin/Acquaviva label Definitive. A producer’s producer, Bryan has naturally spent most of the time since then releasing EPs and LPs under various guises including Barada and Stare5, traversing the globe as a DJ and establishing his own dub influenced Disruptor imprint. More recent outings on Morris Audio and CYMK have introduced his unmistakeable sound to a whole new generation and with the vampirically themed Midnight Teeth EP hitting such a rich vein of form, his current renaissance shows no signs of slowing. First up, Lokjaw is a gritty, subsonic adventure dominated by urgent, staccato analogue pulses and a wickedly funky hi-hat/snare combination. It’s immediately apparent that Zentz is an architect of highly complex sound structures, whose skilful blend of tonal percussion, melodic rhythms and sci-fi fx adds real depth to his productions. Here, the peripheral rhythms are inventive without ever being obtrusive, while the percussive parts are subtly tweaked in every conceivable direction as the the track spins on its axis creating a non-orientable moebius loop on the dancefloor. Zentz’ basslines take you back to a bygone era of chronic 303 abuse and Shadowtalk in particular, recalls much of what was great about the mid 90s with the additional benefit of cutting edge software that updates the sound, taking us on another powerful trip. Utilising a tense, repetitive mid-range bassline that fights its way through wave after wave of expansive reverb and a hypnotic hook that leads unsuspectingly into the eye of the storm, Shadowtalk is relentless in its execution, returning time and again as it reaches new levels of intensity. Massive!There’s a juggernaut approaching and Bryan Zentz is at the wheel. Plus 8’s latest recruit is one of the unsung heroes of the US techno scene with a career that stretches way back to 1994 and a debut release on the Hawtin/Acquaviva label Definitive. A producer’s producer, Bryan has naturally spent most of the time since then releasing EPs and LPs under various guises including Barada and Stare5, traversing the globe as a DJ and establishing his own dub influenced Disruptor imprint. More recent outings on Morris Audio and CYMK have introduced his unmistakeable sound to a whole new generation and with the vampirically themed Midnight Teeth EP hitting such a rich vein of form, his current renaissance shows no signs of slowing. First up, Lokjaw is a gritty, subsonic adventure dominated by urgent, staccato analogue pulses and a wickedly funky hi-hat/snare combination. It’s immediately apparent that Zentz is an architect of highly complex sound structures, whose skilful blend of tonal percussion, melodic rhythms and sci-fi fx adds real depth to his productions. Here, the peripheral rhythms are inventive without ever being obtrusive, while the percussive parts are subtly tweaked in every conceivable direction as the the track spins on its axis creating a non-orientable moebius loop on the dancefloor. Zentz’ basslines take you back to a bygone era of chronic 303 abuse and Shadowtalk in particular, recalls much of what was great about the mid 90s with the additional benefit of cutting edge software that updates the sound, taking us on another powerful trip. Utilising a tense, repetitive mid-range bassline that fights its way through wave after wave of expansive reverb and a hypnotic hook that leads unsuspectingly into the eye of the storm, Shadowtalk is relentless in its execution, returning time and again as it reaches new levels of intensity. Massive!