[Elastic Dreams]

The Circle Stops Somewhere is the debut 12″ from both A Sagittariun and the Elastic Dreams label. It’s a fairly out-of-the-blue record, and its press release says as much: “no bullshit, deep and dark electronics…that is all.” This tight-lipped techno attitude isn’t a very original selling point, but everything’s got to begin somewhere, I suppose. And fortunately for Elastic Dreams, the record comes with another selling point — a remix by Mike Dehnert as MD2.

A Sagittariun’s sound is considerably less “deep and dark” than that of his (or her, or their) remixer. The title track maintains a relatively swift, dynamic pace, but rather than going all grimy basement, it’s laced with wispy organ stabs and a loose, echoing synth line that lends a wistful, stargazing feel. Ditto “Telepathic Heights,” which, alongside a similar interplay and near-tropical percussive syncopations, includes one of those near-ubiquitous, difficult-to-place samples (it’s from a trailer for the original Star Wars): “somewhere in space, this may all be happening right now….” It’s awkward hearing it at home, but its sparing use — appearing once, early on — lends it some probable crowd-harnessing dance floor appeal. MD2’s remix of the title track is considerably tighter than either A Sagittariun original, and as a result it’s more difficult to chart its progress. It stays locked in a muscular churn as dub chords boom over a bassy woodblock shuffle for its relatively short (sub-five-minute) duration. The track may be incongruous in mood, but it adds more weight to what’s already a solidly head-stretching package.