[M_nus]

As the soulful shades of deep house again find their way into many releases this year, the still thriving industry of minimal techno has responded, in some ways, in kind. Whether it’s the melodically blushing simplicity of Efdemin and his work as Pigon; or perhaps the echo-eco-system of Deepchord and his Echospace project; or the human focus and perspective of more functionally minimal tracks, such as “R U OK?” by Ambivalent: Minimal techno has played a bit more with its heart on its sleeve, or at least acknowledged the organ beating in its chest.

Gaiser has long been an expressive member of the Minus stable. But never before has the 26-year-old Grand Rapids native been as sonically candid with fans as on “Withdrawal.” Gaiser brandishes an overlord voice which menaces audiences, “I know that you were planning to disconnect me.” In an increasingly plugged in society, I’m going to have to ask him to be more specific: is it our endless technology that keeps us constantly “in the loop” or the drugs which render the loop more dangerous? Regardless, Gaiser gurgles on and reveals his most unabashedly beautiful arrangement, softly pondering a piercingly lucid three note melody. Flanked in signature percussive timbres of window-washing whirrs and gulps, the track suddenly takes on a new dimension – it’s the minimal gaze of a lobotomizing central riff. Its gauzy texture conjures the calming atmosphere of an intensive care ward, moments after some sort of crash – you decide. It’s a bold but simple move which injects a bit of commercial solvency into the mnml brand and is there for audiences, 5:30 am on the third day of raving on, to share in their epic come-down. I, for one, am craving another listen.