Artist: Pig & Dan
Album: Decade
Label: Soma
Release Date: 30/07/2012
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Love or hate techno, only the ignorant would claim the tunes here aren’t great examples of the genre, albeit formed from a crisp, clean interpretation of that sound.
Opening with tracks saturated in melodious synths and keys, Messrs Igor ‘Pig’ Tchkotoua and Dan Duncan’s decades worth of knowledge as to how this dance music thing works is clearly evident. There’s a logical progression in the ten offerings, so whilst things remain within the producers’ collective realm, listening to this album in its entirety reveals a forward movement until the last moments.
The light twinklings of Powder start things off with some epic soundscapes descending into minimalist beats, but later Lone Ranger drops in with far more jack, or at least wide-load kicks, disorienting vocal hooks and a propulsive bassline. Meanwhile, acidity abound on Keep It Coming, the following single- indicative of this point.
The same peak-time vibe continues through to Liberation, filtered horns and all, relenting only to welcome the ambient-house finale that is The Nurse, an apt title for blissed out tones set to clean percussive lines. Not that fans of the pair will need to be told any of this, what with the whole album akin to a Best Of, meaning most of the work here falls into the ‘once heard rarely forgotten’ category.
Take for example Doing It For Yourself’s catchy electro-edged baritone groove, which married to spiralling strings and delicate hi-hats makes for a track that’s likely to stay with you well after whatever event it was played at. In summary then, from the proggy tribalism of Natives - wherein rolling rhythms meet classic vocal cries and chimed harmonies - to the far fresher Insomnia, with its lyrical stabs of “Dance” and dubby drive, this collection is a great representation of the artists’ shared career and serves as both an impressive introduction to the pair, and a release worthy of dedicated followers. Few could ask for more.
