Gradient - Moments Of The Sunrise (Rednetic)

Gradient's sound reminds me of early John Tejada - deep, dubby, minimal, repetitive house. Recommended for the darkening evenings.

Igloo says things.

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The latest release on the long running Rednetic label of London, England is Moments of the Sunrise by Igor Arsenjev’s Gradient project. Rednetic have billed the release as “classy Dub Techno,” however, I would personally class it as a solid techno album with some dub techno elements. Let me explain further…

Dub techno is characterized by very specific sounds, very specific techniques employed and the absorbent, moody atmosphere this creates. It’s impossible to create this atmosphere with the wrong approach, and while this album definitely has its dub techno moments, it’s lacking in some key elements that would make it proper dub techno. However, don’t let this put you off, it’s still a very fine techno album that’s upbeat and bursting with positivity in parts.

I won’t bother mentioning the track titles as they’re all called “Moments,” followed by a number, but there’s a big difference in these “moments.” The use of major keys, like F major and C major, you’d more associate with tech-house or dubstep, but definitely not dub techno are employed. However, it’s the major keys that give the album a lot of positivity I previously mentioned and that’s no bad thing. We do have minor keys also, but only one track in A minor and the others are F minor, C minor and G minor, and most surprising of all, none in D minor, at all. Again, taking some of the tracks away from the moody absorbance previously mentioned that’s required for dub techno in my opinion.

Some of the tracks also feature filtered late 80s to early 90s house style piano riffs and I find that really off putting for an album labelled dub techno. House piano should be nowhere near this album, filtered or not. Again though, it’s a happy sound people like, but it’s not dub techno. So while this all might sound negative, the album itself is actually very good indeed. Just mislabeled.

It’s a very clean sounding album; the sort of cleanliness you associate with early 2000s IDM. Clear, precise and deadly accurate. A very good master indeed. That’s probably no surprise really as Rednetic have released a lot of IDM over the years. However, for a dub techno album, it lacks that smooth and deep thumpingly hypnotic bottom end in almost all the tracks, spare a few of the ‘moments‘ if you will.

In saying all this, it is a classy techno album aimed at the dancefloor and I’m sure plenty of people will love it. My only gripe with it is, it is rather lengthy for a techno album with a lot of similar sounding long tracks—four of the tracks are actually the exact same length (7:40) which I found rather quirky, maybe it’s conceptual, though. Coming in at around 80 minutes or so, it takes a bit of listening, unless you’re really in the mood for it, but don’t let that put you off. You can always dip in and out. 

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