Niko Tzoukmanis and
Tobias Schmidt produced one of 2003's most phenomenal microhouse singles with this two-track 12", released on Germany's Playmade label. Here, the pair seem to forge backgrounds in minimal techno and acid house to make for a stripped down but full-bodied nocturnal sound. Throughout "Solid State," an acid squiggle threatens to wrench itself outward, but it remains no more prominent than any of the keyboard-generated tones and vapors, while a steady, subdued rhythm carries the whole track along. On the other side, "First Contact" picks up the pace while retaining the dark hue of the A-side, with a more dynamic rhythmic template that takes you on a series of fluid twists and folds. Its subliminal keyboard melodies and vast spaces put it on a plane with the best of Force Tracks and '00/'01-school Kompakt. ~ Andy Kellman