Timedance review
08 10

Various Artists Patina Echoes Timedance

25.05.18

Anything feels possible pressing play on the first Timedance compilation. There are, of course, some traits one expects – hi-tech production acrobatics, confident re-framing of club music traditions, a healthy dose of weirdness. All those elements are present in abundance, and still this collection from known and lesser-known artists feels like a welcome jolt from a defibrillator strapped to the temples.

Despite being among the most exciting artists in leftfield UK dance music, label-head Batu has chosen not to appear, but there are Timedance regulars in attendance. Fellow Bristol-based producer Bruce has ditched the beats and plunged into visceral, widescreen sound design, while Ploy has shaken up a fermented bottle of 90s Mo Wax samples and poured it over a dish of errant synth. Other familiar names making their first moves on Timedance include Simo Cell, whose contribution Consider The Internet is bloated and psychedelic in equal measure, and Berlin’s rRoxymore, who steals the show with the limber, rubber band techno brilliance of bRINGTHEbRAVE.

But the compilation also showcases some fresh faces – Cleyra’s Naked Echoes is a heart-melting opener, Rae’s Sleep Rotation is a textbook modular ping-fest, and Neinzer lays down a staggering, high-pressure broken beat roller. Each individual track feels like an occasion, which can often make for a disjointed compilation. Not so here – Timedance’s classy execution holds strong across 11 tracks, delighting the mind and forging ahead into new territory – just like everyone expected.