[Delsin]
Fachwerk, the label Berliner Mike Dehnert runs in association with Sacha Rydell and Roman Lindau, can usually be relied upon for smart techno perfectly contoured for maximum aerodynamics. Dehnert’s first physical album after a series of digital-only packages delivers that solid Fachwerk sound in spades, a well-formed whole that refracts the diverse influences etched into Dehnert’s otherwise opaque techno prism into brilliant streams of multicolor light. The funny thing is, Framework isn’t a Fachwerk album, despite its title being an English translation of that label’s name: Dehnert’s debut album arrives on Dutch label Delsin (quoth Dehnert, “why not?”).
Regardless, Framework is the definitive Fachwerk opus, a portfolio of Dehnert’s many, many variations on a theme. Strangely enough, Dehnert doesn’t take advantage of the format to indulge himself in experiments or excursions (excepting maybe the rubbed-out fuzz of the thirteen minute “Palindrom”), but rather tightens up his sound to an extreme, presenting an album of booming workout after booming workout with only a few moments of restraint or rest. Even more strangely, it works. For what it is, Framework is a rock solid album that provides little in the way of novelty, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better 60 minutes of no-frills techno in the first half of 2011.
Like quite a bit of his recent material, Dehnert dirties up the lustrous finish with a little bit of post-industrial soot and grit, giving his beats a rather satisfying crunch. Indeed, with mostly static structures relentlessly pumping through the album’s lifespan, the textures become the focal point, the natural attraction. The slippery dub techno slapback of “Quattro” is captivating to hear slither across the stereo spectrum, and the rather ecstatic “Teilfolge” rubs sandpaper chords over plastic kick drums. The album’s consistent palette is a curious mixture of dub techno and warehouse vibes not too far off from Claro Intelecto, the latter traits emphasized on the pumping “Infix” and “Klartext.” The closing section trails off into slightly gentler territory as the ambient swirl of “Kontextfrei” congeals into the wonderfully funky “Beatmatching,” an uncharacteristic bit of lightheartedness that ends proceedings in a hopeful mood.
Framework is an enviable dance music album, a remarkably fluid string of unforgiving techno tracks with rare but natural drops into mellower territory. But solid usually doesn’t equal earth-shaking — a summary rather than a push forward. It’s a pleasure to listen to, and chock full of potential jams for like-minded DJs, but no matter how well you work within in a template, you’re still bound to the rules of that template. Maybe that’s why it’s called Framework after all.
