Crack

16/20

We’ve always had a massive soft spot for Dave Clarke’s pounding, uncompromising brand of techno. Among the swathe of image conscious and melodic continental techno names with their user-friendly bubbly techno anthems, there was always something very reassuring about Britain’s number one techno DJ being a bloke called Dave who played fucking hard. Having been a stalwart of the scene for years and a regular at Fabric since the beginning, this compilation was a chronically overdue delve into the darker, harder side of things. The best thing about it is that despite this stereotype, Clarke has crafted a wonderfully diverse mix that delves into dark breaks (Scape One), proper, proper electro (Cute Heels) and the obligatory hard techno (Stephane Signore). Always unnerving and sinister, and at times even gothic, this mix is a superb head-turning duck into the underworld.

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Words: Hulio Bourgeois