[CLR]

In these days of lo-fi patchwork overkill and retro fetish orgies, it feels refreshing to still occasionally be sent techno that sounds resolutely futurist and OCD pristine. Terence Fixmer, a prolific French producer known for myriad industrial-inflected releases on labels like Gigolo and White Noise, here brings three tracks of urbane and sculptural darkness: hypnotic, slick, and precise. “Psychose” is a hard descent into sweaty-palmed, waking-dream territory: beefy kicks, expertly engineered hi-hat play, and the track’s centerpiece: a cascade of swirling synth incisions that sound like Tokyo acid rain beating against a rusty abattoir roof.

By proxy, “Psychik” is all about the mind control, with an incessant collection of tweaks and beeps offsetting a twisted boom — very strong, dark techno that fans of latter-period Planetary Assault Systems and Shifted, Sigha, et al. will no doubt enjoy. Indeed, much like the aforementioned, Fixmer is something of a stickler for detail and although floor-ready, these two tracks are taken far beyond the DJ tool remit. Both bowl along over seven minutes and evoke an exhilarating feeling of decadence. However, by way of comparison, the vocal-led “Lovesick” feels like a clumsy shot at anthemic festival play, coming off sounding scarily like the MC from Faithless voicing a Len Faki B–side. The vocal delivery, in particular, is a stride too far into camp, “dark sexy” territory for these ears. That said, the first two tracks on this release more than make up for this missive with their unrelenting, mauve pulse.