Akob – Radio Universe VIII
(The Gods Planet, 2021-06-30)
After a modest but prominent entry in Ness’ label The Gods Planet via the compilation “X”, French duo Akob finally releases its own EP on the platform, including a smashing remix by Deepbass. With past releases on Circular Limited and Planet Rhythm, the duo of artists are far from being novices. Based in Paris and Berlin, their online presence is however pretty discrete, while their production quality reaches a stellar level: this four tracks EP will most likely help them gain a greater reputation in the deep techno audience.
As mentioned by the duo itself, Akob took inspiration from the “Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna” (ANITA), an array of radio antennas suspended in a balloon, made to detect neutrinos on their way to the cosmos. The antennas look like high-performance Lambda Labs speakers and it’s reasonable to say that listening to these four tracks will make anyone experience the cosmic trip!
With sophisticated icy pad choirs, filtered plucked basses, and a nicely managed sub which sits nicely in the mix, “Antarctic Antenna” is a perfect transition between the warmup and the heart of the matter. Wait for the final break and rise to get your ticket to the stratosphere!
Less intense than the opening track, “Underlaying Signal” will help set an intriguing and adventuring mood. A signature sound, which could be described as an outer space horn, on top of a polyrhythmic beat structure, halfway between deep techno and broken beat, fills the gap between Earth and outer space.
“esrevinU” – the inverted version of “Universe” – designs the distant cosmonaut’s world, with pads reminding NASA’s sound captures of the gaseous giants, well-sustained by a deep hypnotic 4/4 beat.
The three first tracks gently bring the listeners to the climax of the EP: nothing less than one of 2021’s best remixes. Well-mastered rolling bass, deep kicks and Deepbass’ special sub-combination nullify the physical laws to produce an emotional supernova: the Scottish artist showed profound respect to the original version, highlighted in the re-use of the horn sample and drone, but brought the track in a dimension rarely reached before, merging with a certain intensity both the trippy state and the contemplation.
Ness and Deepbass have often collaborated together in the past, offering a bunch of excellent releases, including the resounding “Outer Limits“, “Conspiracy” and “Distance” on Dynamic Reflection, and the magical “Unconscious Perception” on Informa. Deepbass also appeared on the VA “X” and through the efforts invested in the remix, the deep friendship between the two artists can be sensed.
WRITING BY: GIAN TRUCCI | 5 JULY 2021
