Latest LP from the treasure trove of Japanese producer Shinichi Atobe on Demdike Stare’s DDS imprint. Atobe slipped out one EP in 2001 (the life-affirming Ship-Scope on G.O.A.T. dub techno label Chain Reaction) and then disappeared into the wind, until Demdike Stare tracked him down and coaxed him into a program to release his archived works, beginning with 2014’s Butterfly Effect. Atobe & the DDS lads (as executive producers) fit a complex range of styles and feeling onto 4 sides of wax on From The Heart, ranging from deep & feminine minimal house (“Regret” echoes aspects of DJ Sprinkles’ delicate masterpiece Midtown 120 Blues) to vulnerable FM synth noodling (“The Test Of Machine 2”) and fairly straightforward (but executed with precision) dub techno. Three tracks transferred from a rescued dubplate (“First Plate 1, 2 & 3”) that pre-date Ship-Scope make this release entirely worth it, with the third entry being the high water mark. Dank, dark & urgent; you can almost reach out and feel the sweat beading up on the ceiling of some dangerously sweltering basement party in Kabukicho or Friedrichshain circa 1999. Highly recommended, keep them coming.

• double vinyl pressing
• limited edition
• 500 copies pressed
• music label: DDS 2017

reviewed by peanut dust 07/2017