[Plus 8 Records]

While it’s higher profile offshoot label M_nus continues to tread water and slowly transform into some sort of sci-fi cartoon series, Richie Hawtin’s original Plus 8 imprint keeps on putting out quality techno releases with a lot less frequency but a much higher level of quality across the board. Veteran Canadian label-skipper Mike Shannon (of Cynosure label fame) is the latest producer to come aboard, and his third full-length album is a polished and accomplished foray into rhythmic tech-house, as comfortable on a home stereo as it would be on an adventurous jock’s playlist.

Shannon establishes his sonic palette right off the bat with “Beyond Incubation,” a mid-tempo excursion full of deep, dark digital notes and hard-hitting mechanical tones and beats — in short, the classic Plus 8 sound. With track two, however, Shannon steps on the accelerator. Opening with some static and waves that give way to a lightly tweaked sliding riff and a cracker-crisp snare beat, “Mercury Mile” (also featured on the album preview “Memory Seed” EP) rides a series of shifting and overlaid melody lines and rhythms that don’t stand still for many measures, moving from one squirming, ever-ascending motif to another. This isn’t the circular, minimal composition of the M_nus camp; this is the stuff that F.U.S.E. and Jeff Mills and even early Autechre was built on.

Shannon sticks to a core of sounds, but not to styles or particular rhythmic patterns. For example, “Wolf Module” guest star Mathew Jonson helps Shannon program some synths into a bouncing, effects-laden acid workout, all hi-hats trying their best to rise above the gnashing teeth of the main riff. “Uno Para el Sol,” on the other hand (with Vincenzo), uses a deep-house rhythmic pattern, softer chords and some jazzy Rhodes mini-runs to create a jacking, late-night atmosphere. Closer “Closed Question” embraces the classic Detroit sound, while “The Love Fry” has some industrial overtones.

Although Shannon bounces from style to style, he doesn’t stray far from his chosen sound sources and the album is kept unified as a result, a satisfying top-to-bottom listen. If you’ve been lamenting Hawtin’s lack of musical output and questionable marketing moves of late, at least be assured that someone over at the home label still has a fully functioning set of ears and a desire to sign talent.