Porter Ricks - Anguilla Electrica
(Tresor)

Chain Reaction / Force Inc. legends Porter Ricks are, as far as I am concerned, the shit when it comes to dub techno, and Anguilla Electrica, their first full-length in eighteen (!) years, is the business.
Ever since their initial singles were released in the mid-1990s and became international calling cards for the Chain Reaction label, the duo of ambient maestro Thomas Köner and beatmeister Andy Mellwig have represented that crucible point in which techno music leaked into new social environments and became the background music for cutting-edge cultural critique.  Their submerged "scuba" sound, presented in dark tone colors and reverberating to infinity, is now instantly identifiable as one of the "soundmarks" of Berlin club culture.  Just as importantly, it is still a palpable aftershock of a pre-millennial genre explosion that saw deep dub, shimmering post-rock, abstract hip-hop, and art-damaged noise all drinking from the same well of inspiration.  For proof of Porter Ricks's enduring legacy, look no further than the fact that "dub techno" is now a stylistic movement that has expanded far beyond the confines of Berlin and the Basic Channel / Chain Reaction label alliance (where Mellwig's mastering skills also played a starring role).  Lurid traces of Porter Ricks's aesthetic can now be found in the work of producers like Andy Stott and Miles Whittaker, showing the potential for the duo's unique "aquatic" techniques to be applied to a variety of different musical contexts.
Their new LP on Tresor, Anguilla Electrica, radiates with confidence and with a clarity and intensity rarely seen in a world so over-saturated with communications noise.  It's made clear at once that it's a continuation of a sonic ideal rather than a tribute to what has already been achieved, the duo is not idly sitting back while their newer acolytes do their talking for them.  This new LP is totally well worth the wait and is a life-affirming one in an uncertain and perilous time, drowning out daily anxieties like a rush of incoming surf.  Far more invigorating than relaxing and true to the Porter Ricks's tradition, I cannot recommend this enough. (Lee)
Check out a track here.