Welcome to a special one-off blog post showcasing a fantastic VA compilation coming out of Bass Controllism Records from the Netherlands. This Dutch label has just released the Dark Matter VA which boasts 45 tracks by 32 artists; the majority of the tracks are techno & its sub-genres with a few other electronic genres represented. The tracks are in bpm order (lowest to highest), thus, gently taking you on a journey to oblivion! You can find the compilation on Beatport, Traxsource & Junodownload as well as other music download & streaming platforms.
Why not play the DJMarz minimix as you read the review?
(See end of review for an embedded Spotify player & SoundCloud two hour set.)
Here are the tracks in order complete with pithy one-liner reviews from UK minimal & techno producer, Hegstraction, with artist & track hyperlinks. (Click on the artist names for links to their music & the track names for links to the specific track. Click here for the artist Beatport links.)
1. Rave Qontroll - Freaquency Ranges (Original Mix)
"A great start to the compilation with this percussion-driven track accentuated by atmospheric white noise stabs & deep dreamy background melodies."
2. Basscontroll - Going Deep Down In The Darkness (Original Mix)
"A smooth half-time & breakbeat track that lures you in with silky melodies, sub-bass lines & industrial flourishes."
"Something a little heavier & darker now; this track has some nice punctuated sequences lodged between sinister hypnotic sections."
4. Lorenzo Chi - Va Va Session (Original Mix)
"Lorenzo's created a nice groove here with some trippy vocal FX & a satisfying beat."
"Stepping up a gear with this track; the kick, hi-hats & heavy reverb make you 'pull the bass face' as you get into the mix."
6. Underground Tacticz - Ghost Passenger (Original Mix)
"Love how this gets going after the one-minute mark and then again at 5:30 in; the melody has a great anthem-like quality."
7. Ex One - Lethal Virus (Original Mix)
"Some lovely bass & reverb on the kick in this track combined with nice percussive touches, dark stabs & complementary melodies."
"Here comes DJ Marz with a driving track, soft synths setting a nice flow, forward percussion, and some otherworldly sounds in the breakdowns."
"A little harder & faster for Ex One's second track on the release; the kick patterns & percussive elements create a perfect groove to dance to and get lost in the melodies."
10. Frank Van Wissing - Imprint (Original Mix)
"Ooh, those synths at the one-minute mark really give it a nice edge; quite low-key industrial at some points with a really good choice of melody."
11. Freqmind - Slow Dance On The Rave (Original Mix)
"Time for your subwoofer to get a workout; lovely hypnotic driving beat with some subtle percussive & synth elements."
12. Spring Goose - Insomnicac' z 96 (Original Mix)
"Time to catch your breath with some smooth sub-bass moulded with house & dub vibes."
13. Rispetto Musiq - Black Hole (Original Mix)
"Getting into a nice progressive house groove now with ethereal vocals leading you between worlds."
14. Audiunt - March To M.A.D (Original Mix)
"Let's go! Pushing the pace with complex percussion and automated synths, we find ourselves immersed in the 'sound'."
15. Basscontroll - End Of Days (Original Mix)
"Great subdued melody here has the 'look' of a famous anthem combined with hypnotic beats & FX."
16. Kareem Smith - Computer MALFUNCTION (Original Mix)
"Switching things up with a Jackin House track & as the name of the track implies, multiple bleeps & bloops with vocals & beats coordinated to create a rhythm."
17. Noisy Shaun - Gravity Collapse (Original Mix)
"We're treated to a heavy kick with hypnotic trippy melodies in between breakdowns & bridges adding to the overall atmosphere."
18. PK [UK] - Black Hole (Original Mix)
"The minimal-esque 'bleepety, bleepety, bleepety' serves as a nice melody here amongst percussive work & warped synths & FX reflecting the name of the track."
19. Shaun Activation - Just A Dream (Original Mix)
"Into some breakbeat now & this track really kicks off at 1:42 with a chunky electro dynamic lead synth - very satisfying!"
20. Si Brown - Noodle Effect (Original Mix)
"Si's got some lovely electronic 'byte' on the kick & lots of nice automated sequences driving the track forward with hard dance & industrial fundamentals."
21. Kev Willis - Symbolic Groove (Original Mix)
"'Hypnotic' is the keyword here with some snare stabs & low-key house synths rounding out the picture."
22. Kev Willis - Manic Impact (Original Mix)
"Another driving hypnotic number from Kev with some synth arps & manic melodies creating an intense atmosphere."
23. Noisy Shaun - Pumpatron (Original Mix)
"A lively house track with those bouncy synths just right for the dancefloor, & some of those trippy melodies again, and I love that little bit of percussion just after 4 minutes in."
24. Hegstraction - Optimus Sub-Prime (Original Mix)
"Oh, it's my track ..., so this is how I think transformers talk, haha, bundled up with suspenseful long builds reaching a complex groove."
25. Icarian PB1 - Harmonize (Original Mix)
"Great intro to this track with nice meaty kick patterns, dynamic techno-house synths, & those lovely ominous dark synth stabs in between nicely mixed robotic vocals."
26. Shades of Black - Galaxies Missing Energy (Original Mix)
"A no nonsense driving sci-fi techno track with fitting vocals in between some acid melodies."
27. Icarian PB1 - If What (Original Mix)
"Frantic arp sequences combined with percussive elements giving a satisfying tonality, & feeling a little tribal by the end."
28. Si Brown - Spaghettification (Original Mix)
"An onomatopoeic track with a creative & minimal-sounding intro continuing into a breakbeat flow."
29. Antonio Lombardo - 3rd Dimensional Shift (Original Mix)
"A hypnotic driving track with subtle melodies, FX, & industrial elements."
30. Stefan Trinidad - Orbital Nightmare (Original Mix)
"This track has the 'get to know your neighbours' kick; the first hard techno track of the compilation, bringing hard dance synths & moody basslines."
31. THEMADDEEJAY - Dark Reflections (Original Mix)
"An eerie intro leading into dark melodies & a heavier harder final third with some tight acid."
32. Mirojam - The Broken Walls Of Jericho (Full Story Mix)
"We're going on a musical journey through minimal pastures, breakbeat highlands, melodic valleys & progressive mountains."
33. Orphean - Into The Woods (Original Mix)
"Rolling into 140 bpm territory with a hard dance track with video game synths & sound FX."
34. Freqmind - Jumping Dance (Original Mix)
"Dark minimal hypnotic vibes creating a fast-paced techno meditation."
35. Rob Mitshi - Dark Matter (Original Mix)
"A hardcore blitz with hard dance rave signals complete with ominous dark pads."
36. Shaun Activation - Burn My Mind (Sophomore Mix)
"Ravers rejoice! Shaun's got you covered with a hard dance energy-filled track with builds, drops & breaks."
37. Rob Mitshi - Eggman (Original Mix)
"Another Mitshi track with high-energy, complex percussion, & pulsing lead synths."
38. Basscontroll - Everything Is Just A Dream (Original Mix)
"From a dream-like intro with sub-basslines to introspective pads, 'mainframe' synths, & sci-fi vocals."
39. Ordrorir - Hydrostasis (Original Mix)
"A rave in a giant empty water tower anyone?! Pushing the pace now with subterranean melodies, synth stabs, & rhythmic percussion."
"Achiel's created a great groove here just with kick, percussion & FX; then, some nice atmospheric pads, upbeat kick patterns, & dynamic thick lead synths."
"Bringing the primordial power of the goddess of the sea, we're treated to a peak time driving percussion heavy wave with fervent melodies."
"Fast-paced breakbeats with fat basslines, riser builds, & intricate percussion."
43. SyncXit - The Surface (Original Mix)
"A creative dubstep mix punctuated with bass synth stabs & melodic influences."
44. Rave Qontroll - Where Are The Ravers Going (Original Mix)
"Hard dance kick patterns with muted rave signs & esoteric pads & melodies."
45. Cyber Samurai - HardFunking Gangsta (Original Mix)
"Finishing with a bang, a rap-infused hard dance number, with D'n'B inspired sequences."
Listen to the whole compilation on this awesome megamix by THEMADDEEJAY
You can find all music & social links for Bad Haz Techno here - ALL LINKS :)
Thank you for supporting Bad Haz Techno, and we look forward to bringing you more techno reviews, interviews, news & blog posts in 2023.
