As a founding member of Detroit's electro-booty pioneers
AUX 88, Keith Tucker has one of the more successful catalogs in Detroit techno in terms of mass recognition. Unfortunately, the same spirit of innovation and fun cannot be found in his traditional techno work under the guise of
Optic Nerve. Derivative and often bordering on redundant, "Destination Detroit," "The Call," and "Shades of Grey" make it feel like 1991 all over again. And it displays the unfortunate attitude that nothing has happened since. Detroit techno is simply not a big enough genre that you can get away with naming another track "Night Drive" when
Juan Atkins already did. Guest vocalist Renee gives "Quantum Leap" a slight edge, meaning it at least engages the listener in a novel vocal melody within the retread Detroit techno musical patterns. Same for the harp mix of "Pharaoh's Doorway," which, with the childlike instrument and sped-up tempo, could almost be mistaken for a forgotten item from the Warp catalog. Missing the space funk of
Juan Atkins, the contemplative poignancy of
Carl Craig, and the physical mandate of his own techno bass workouts,
Optical should not be the first Detroit techno CD you buy. It probably shouldn't even be the tenth. But if it were to somehow slip into your collection, it is executed responsibly enough to not offend the archetypes of the genre. ~ Joshua Glazer