[Pole Recordings]

European producers making serious-minded and sub-heavy “album” techno have had a good run of it lately. Over the last year or so, Donato Dozzy and Neel, Dadub, and Dino Sabatini have all turned in stellar sets hinging on heavily layered atmospherics that draw audible inspiration from the beauty/terror dynamics of natural world mysticism, made flesh by frighteningly accomplished engineering skills. Here, cult Spanish duo Exium add ably to the growing canon of sultry, cinematic tribalism, albeit with a harder hitting — and more sci-fi futurist — techno approach. Although perfectly functional, Exium have never exactly been the trackiest of producers. The past decade has seen them stay close to a low-slung and physical sound. A foreboding though not overbearingly dark vibe threads their catalogue — grandiose yet somewhat scuzzy. In techno terms, we’re talking Joey Beltram jamming with Peter Van Hoesen. But while this palette has served them well, the duo’s second LP, A Sensible Alternative to Emotion, ventures into far more ambitious areas.

“Dronid” is a slice of fine dub techno, albeit a highly tense one. Echo and delay, chopped chords and marching hats give the impression of those moments of clear lucidity before deep sleep descends. “Massless Particle” is a total deep-space trip; a hulking station in perpetual orbit as rattling hats, subdued kicks and breathing samples combine in a viscous and tightly wound piece. “Absolute Magnitude” is simmering and tumultuous, hinging on rickety drones and a broken kick pattern while “Cimmerian Trail” evokes majestic “Dune”-like imagery with its rich horn samples and world-weary vibe. “Novakron” is less convincing, the pair sounding somewhat uninspired when tackling glitchier territory. “Nucleoid” is a floor-ready sci-fi belter — taut Euro futurism — while “The 12th Planet” sounds for all the world like one of Jeff Mills’ Something In the Sky 12″s, replete with rising bleeps and rickety kicks that come in and out of focus. Given the clarity of the rest of the album’s lush pastures, this makes sense and sounds like neat homage to the master of gritty escapism rather than a rip-off. Exium have long remained something of a well-respected cult affair, but this LP places them in a position to become acquainted with rather bigger rooms.