As Sandwell District prepares to release it’s first full length album this Fall, the ever enigmatic, ‘art brut’ collective teases us with two various artist, pre-album, sampler 12"s featuring original tracks and edits from Function, Silent Servant, Regis and Female. And the result, as you would expect, is some of the most beautiful, forward thinking techno to surface in years. With no track titles on offer, this first 12";, lovingly pressed on clear vinyl, opens with “Intro", a collaboration between Regis and Function that sets the tone for both records with a sonic, industrial landscape which explores the depths of Sumner’s classic SH-101 analog bass tones mixed with the perfect, subtle balance of O’Connor’s expert noise treatments. Next up, Function delivers another one of his modern, yet ancient gems. This arpeggiated, cosmic masterpiece encapsulates timeless techno with it’s stringy, otherworldly demeanor, investigating time and space in the same vein you would expect from early Red Planet and R&S. On to the B-side, Regis delivers a mind blowing, dub-step tinged edit of Silent Servant, utilizing Mendez’s lush, Kraftwerkian strings combined with Master Regis’ thunderous undercurrent, this forms the perfect counterpart for Sumner’s contribution and hones in the dreamlike quality found on both of these 12″s. Finally, the B2 track is a hidden, uncredited one minute experimental bass track, with an almost John Carpenter type feel that no one has claimed responsibility for…..