- Trust Token to find a classy version of the trancey, big-room techno sound that's so popular these days. The Ghent-based outlet, which set a new benchmark for modern techno when it launched in 2007, has released its fair share of atmospheric tear-jerkers, but none better than Antigone's "Ostinato I." With twinkling bleeps, cosmic synths and plenty of space in the mix, there's not much separating it from the tunes you might hear in, say, a Tale Of Us set. Then comes the melodic bassline, a cinematic wall of emotion that rises in intensity as it heads towards what, for most tracks of this kind, would be a perfect time to fire up the ice cannon. But Antigone cooly lets the energy subside, allowing the groove to do the talking.
"Ostinato II" is less subtle. The twinkling synths are also there, but the melodies and breakdowns are bigger. They dance around a gentle bassline pulse, coming and going as a soft hi-hat, introduced in the second half, keeps time. It's hard to say how many melodic components are at play (I counted at least four), yet the mix never feels cluttered. This is considered techno on a label allergic to cheap tricks.
TracklistA Ostinato I
B Ostinato II