[Clone Loft Supreme Series]

Among the debris of Clone’s 2009 self-inflicted explosion lay a handful of single-minded sub-label series, each shard reflecting an aspect of the multi-faceted juggernaut that came before, but self-contained so that record buyers can follow the series which represent their preferred styles and ignore the others. For many, this has meant the full-throttle techno of the Basement Series, the classic-leaning house of the Jack For Daze Series, and the more modern Royal Oak all get much attention and much love, but what of some of the others? The booty bass of Clone Crown Ltd. is surely a love it or hate it kinda deal, but Loft Supreme intrigues with its seeming lack of focus. DJ Kaos’ Kosmischer Ruckenwind from 2009 is an enticing take on guitar-based kosmische musik à la Michael Rother or Manuel Göttsching, but it’s this remix package, issued in late 2012, that really delivers.

Think what you will about Matt Edward’s current output, but the shadows of classics like “RJ” and “K-Maze” loom large in many techno fans’ memories. With Joel Martin as Quiet Village, their remix of “Kosmischer Ruckenwind” truly delivers, recalling the long-form techno k-holes Edwards perfected around 2007 reshaped into a slow and brooding kosmische masterpiece. Languid, Reich-infected guitar sequences loop over and over as washes of noise and gentle plucking echo overhead, all at a languid, suitably narcotic 100 beats per minute. And at a runtime of 24 minutes, Quiet Village are in no rush — yet the track is both urgent and propulsive all the same. A lengthy mid-track breather lulls for minutes until the introduction of simple hand drumming and a hi-hat whip the whole thing into a delirious cosmic techno jam. Rotterdam duo Elitechnique’s rework of “Kosmischer Ruckenwind” is a more dance-floor friendly, electro version of the original. It’s perfectly fine in its own right, but given the behemoth on the A-side, it can’t help but suffer from B-side malaise.