- Functional techno for all occasions.
- Jon Hester has built some nice momentum. The American artist, who lives in Berlin and is a regular at one of the city's leading techno events, Dystopian, spent a few years sporadically releasing tracks and remixes with various labels. Nothing about his sound really stuck, but he's recently settled into a more regular release pattern with a lean and direct techno sound that's found a home on labels like Rekids, Dystopian and LET Recordings. He isn't shaking the genre to its core with new ideas (how many producers are?), but with tracks like "Arc" and "Short Circuit" he's shown a taste for slightly bolder and stranger expressions to complement his more traditional tracks.
States Of Matter doesn't try to rock the boat too much, but all of its tracks could slip comfortably into an already simmering techno set. Are you looking to increase intensity on the dance floor? Try "Pressurized" and its subtle rave energy. Need a bridge track between two moods? "Pathway" has a neutral but alluring lead synth to play with. Is a busy, hip-shaking mid-range what you fancy? "Flow" could scratch the itch. These tracks add to the reliably effective discography Hester has started to build. On his remix, Roman Poncet slows "Pathway" down and opts for more dynamism. There's a lot more percussion, a meaner bassline and a couple of breakdowns that briefly luxuriate in a swirling pad.
TracklistA1 Flow
A2 Pathway
B1 Pathway (Roman Poncet Remix)
B2 Pressurized