Artist: Arnaud Le Texier
Release: Granular Therapy
Label: Children Of Tomorrow
Format: 2×12” / Digital
Release Date: Vinyl September 15th 2018, digital October 15th
Good things come to those who wait. This seems to be the case for Granular Therapy, the first album by Arnaud Le Texier, out on the 15th September. After almost 20 years producing music, the French-born, London-based artist finally announces his first LP ever.
Co-boss of Children of Tomorrow label and talented DJ, Arnaud has been making people dance to raw and banging beats for the last 30 years. Dancefloor connoisseur, with “Granular Therapy” he pleasantly surprises us with a profound journey into all shades of techno.
His new work is a wondrous tale about how techno evolves from dancefloor moves to ambient landscapes and goes back, deeply charged with new shades, on the dancefloor again.
The album depicts the sensibility of someone who has been studying what happens at the club for a long time: having played at the main techno parties around the world, Arnaud has kept himself at the very forefront of the scene. But he has lived and breathed the deepest hues of the genre too and he is now showing us what he found after this long research.
From an unexpected ambient exploration, he takes us on a journey that follows the phases of the sun, where the tracks Dusk (A1), Binary Sun Dawn (B3), Midi Overdub (D1) and Dawn (D3) originate. Deep and atmospheric sounds, hinting at that granular therapy that he has done to his techno catalogue, marry droney sensations, recalling the first lights of the morning, watery sounds of nature or the rays of the sun filling the room at midday, in a cold winter day. The journey ends at dawn, as (almost) any party: tense, acidly subtle and deep.
Arnaud’s knowledge of the dancefloor surfaces especially from the B side of his album. Here, Black Nympheas (B1) creates a powerful crescendo, a dark yet very danceable groove. Blade Pass Frequency (B2) puts all the techno ingredients on the table: 4/4 beat, the 909 kicking signature and the acid bassline.
The other tracks seem to chase that perfect balance between deep exploration and dance madness, making it perfect mixing material. Pattern 2 (A2) is powerful with its broken beats, almost cavernous, echoing an imaginary voice coming from the space. Granular Therapy (A3) is a dark, unrushed walk towards the dancefloor, guided by a powerful modular bassline. Mono Driver (C1) is a hypnotic track that wants you tapping your feet even when you are still sitting at your desk. Snapper (C2) guides us in a techno march, following its magic bells. Virgo Consortium (C3) is as dramatic as the title might suggest: dark atmospheres and outer space exploration. Hideous Engine (D2) turns on Arnaud’s music machinery: banging techno on the plate.
Music powder wisely sprinkled, “Granulary Therapy” is an excellent work. Totally worth the wait.
Listen to the excerpt of Granular Therapy LP here: