Gracing Token with a 12" of reliable effect, Sterac (a.k.a. Steve Rachmad) offers 4 titles that go beyond the club - balancing raw Detroit influences and contemporary depth. With a reputation built on years of developing his scene through important record releases and local as well as international activity, 'Light in the Darkness' confirms Rachmad's artistic relevance in a quickly developing scene.
With a tone-setting introduction for the EP, Rachmad immediately grips the listener's attention with the pragmatic yet nostalgic 'Mangled'. Chord stabs inch away from a brutal on-beat drum sequence, a technique responsible for many hits in the genre, this time tastefully repolished through spreaded wooden percussion in direct support. 'Mangled' boasts what A1's should - a worthy first impression - before luring us into what can be considered the apex of the EP. 'Light in the Darkness' claims the project title with a gradual exploration through celestial bodies. A minimal opening with a simple acid bassline shows a great deal of attitude before the listener gets caught in an unexpected tide of cosmic pads, dimensionalizing an initially linear record . With slow waves of rich synth work enveloping the only anchor to time that is rhythm, the result is a closed-eyed dance floor experience to be selected in prime conditions. Thick pads are immediately offered again, this time more orchestral than mental. The softness of this primary sound design is expertly dissected by a razor sharp resonant top synth and an upward drum construction, completing the spectrum of sound and unveiling a record with a size fit for warehouse capacities. Rachmad adds almost cinematic suspense to the EP with 'S.O.' - certainly not to be underestimated. This leads us to the project's closer 'Solidify', a delirious club groover. With a sound as bent and confronting as a house of mirrors, Rachmad leaves us with a final chapter to keep the heart racing past the end.
With a tone-setting introduction for the EP, Rachmad immediately grips the listener's attention with the pragmatic yet nostalgic 'Mangled'. Chord stabs inch away from a brutal on-beat drum sequence, a technique responsible for many hits in the genre, this time tastefully repolished through spreaded wooden percussion in direct support. 'Mangled' boasts what A1's should - a worthy first impression - before luring us into what can be considered the apex of the EP. 'Light in the Darkness' claims the project title with a gradual exploration through celestial bodies. A minimal opening with a simple acid bassline shows a great deal of attitude before the listener gets caught in an unexpected tide of cosmic pads, dimensionalizing an initially linear record . With slow waves of rich synth work enveloping the only anchor to time that is rhythm, the result is a closed-eyed dance floor experience to be selected in prime conditions. Thick pads are immediately offered again, this time more orchestral than mental. The softness of this primary sound design is expertly dissected by a razor sharp resonant top synth and an upward drum construction, completing the spectrum of sound and unveiling a record with a size fit for warehouse capacities. Rachmad adds almost cinematic suspense to the EP with 'S.O.' - certainly not to be underestimated. This leads us to the project's closer 'Solidify', a delirious club groover. With a sound as bent and confronting as a house of mirrors, Rachmad leaves us with a final chapter to keep the heart racing past the end.