Pan Sonic – Aaltopiri

Formed as Panasonic in 1993 by Mika Vanio and Ilpo Väisänen, the Finnish experimental techno duo Pan Sonic has since its inception built spacious but minimalist beat-driven, bass-dense tracks where echo and reverb reign, and the midrange is thick with hum, feedback, drone, and little dings and pings. The pair’s first three albums were low-key enough that no electronic hardware conglomerate would take notice, but in mid-1990s, Panasonic the company filed suit. They group dropped the middle “A” and made Aaltopiri in 2001. A beast of an experimental techno record, it’s a system-testing wonder of production, with each weighty tone and utterance appearing as if measured to the gram. It features both extended dance floor explorations and brief interstitial ambient pieces, the combination of which creates the kind of substance lacking in many techno full-length albums. When, as on “Arvio,” they turn their attention to ultra high frequencies, the resulting itsy, menacing rhythms feel like they’re attacking your eardrums. Like Stefan Betke, a.k.a. Pole, Pan Sonic on Altopiri revels in clicks-and-cuts micro-techno. “Johdin” is a burner that recalls Plastikman’s work on Consumed, one that draws on minimalism, dub and bumpy Basic Channel-style meditations. – Randall