Taint

Taint

Lee Curtiss [Dumb Unit]

25 August, 2007 | 5.47PM

• Written by: Lee Smith
• Filed under: Music Recommendations: lee curtiss

Thirty seven releases in, this could well be the biggie for Jeremy P. Caulfield’s excellent Dumb-Unit label.

A key figure in the Detroit’s latest wave of minimal techno producers (along with Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson the Pakahau crew), the Lee Curtiss track ‘Three Fingers’ already popped up on Caulfield’s storming Detached Works mix CD, with its distinctive high-pitched wobble and relentless mono-groove proving to be a highlight of the mix. 

While so much contemporary minimal techno has forgotten about such minor details as dance-friendly grooves, smart production skills or interesting sounds, Lee Curtiss effortlessly excels in all three areas, demonstrating that this kind of techno at its best can be sleek, dark, pumping and refined, all at the same time.

Meanwhile, ‘Over The Influence’ offers disembodied voices, decaying wood blocks and queasy chimes, and ‘Trip To The Woodshed’ is a lighter, snappier affair that eases up on the lurching FX.

Both serve as complementary accompaniments to the lead track’s nefarious hook, but are probably for strict fans of the style only.

Minimal may be stuffed to gills with vacuous half-wits churning out pointless drivel, but in Curtiss and Dumb-Unit’s hands, there’s still plenty to get excited about.

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