Gez Varley 3

Gez Varley 3

G-Man aka Gez Varley [GMR Records]

6 November, 2007 | 10.34AM

• Written by: Lee Smith
• Filed under: Music Recommendations: g-man, gez varley, gmr

It was over a decade ago that legendary Warp bleep pioneers LFO went their separate ways, with Mark Bell continuing the moniker while Gez Varley retreated to Germany to immerse himself in his G-Man alias.

A string of legendary minimal dub-techno records followed, taking a clear inspiration from Basic Channel’s pioneering fusion of Jamaica’s reverbs and Detroit’s machines while injecting a distinct element of forceful clarity to the Berliners’ murky, abyssal grooves.

Following a smattering of new tracks on labels like Wir and Styrax Leaves – not to mention the use of his evergreen ‘Quo Vadis’ on an Xbox game ad – he’s decided to reissue some of his back catalogue here on his own GMR imprint, which appears to largely consist of tracks from his acclaimed Force Inc albums of 2001 and 2002.

Those who’ve found their way into minimal techno through clubs like DC10 and labels like Poker Flat might find some of Varley’s stark, almost militaristic tendencies a bit on the heavy side, but frankly, it’s their loss; the rich stabs, resonant kicks and relentless repetition are, to many, the sound of true minimal techno, as rigidly intense slammers like ‘Tinge’ and ‘Lime’ demonstrate.

It’s not all bowel-churning delays and ultra-moody tones, though; Varley’s knack for endless plains of high end drift give the tracks here a depth of feeling that go way beyond the basic imperatives of most derivative minimal efforts.

A timely history lesson from one of the UK’s unsung techno masters.

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