As I hear a friend tell me of the wonders of a Developer live set at Tresor, I sat down to take in his latest album Sangre Por Oro which translates from Spanish to “Blood for Gold” that I can only assume is reflective of the work it takes to create his chosen art. The Modularz main man has delivered some of the most notable and essential crate cuts in recent years for me, so it’s with great pleasure to get in tune with his latest offering.
Launching the trip with “Risky” that’s a repetitive and haunting affair, while “24hrs in Beijing” has more psychedelic chimes and deep rolling toms. Track three “Gypsy Theme” steps up the kick a notch and brings some blazing relentlessness, that has got to be my highlight here, where “Boogie Down” is a demented roller with angular bleeps and a real tool-like composition. “Jive Kept Me Alive” throws wonky suspense into the package with a somewhat two-step beat that creates an edginess, followed by “Over Cold Seas” that uses deep chords branded in emotion.
Moving into the latter half, “Head Hunter” has a clear focus on twisted and tearing, arpeggiated melodies, where “Savage Nights” uses a combination of piercing synths to create abrasive, detuned clashes. Ninth up is “Jackem Tool 20” a jumping floor spinner that uses a buzzing electro hook, while “Tears It Is” has a warm up feel bursting with anti-climactic energy yet totally satisfying with weird vocals adding an extra focal point. Closing with “Cultivation” he deep dives into a sparse modular make up that sounds like an android baring its soul trapped in another dimension.
Developer manages nods to old school flavours and aesthetics, that’s full of refreshing vibes and a stimulating contemporary ethos. Overall the album devises a feeling of accomplishment with no boundaries and being capable of polishing raw ideas of rhythms into the purist of techno impressions.
- Reviewed by Jamie W. for deathtechno.com
