Since the mid-'90s, German DJ/producer Chris Liebing has been pumping out dozens of rock-hard techno records, precisely engineered to wreak havoc upon dancefloors. His debut full-length, 2003's Evolution, was his first attempt to divert from his usual methods, incorporating found sounds, vocals, and even excerpts of Stephen Hawking text. Burn Slow is Liebing's first album for Mute (not counting a collaboration with Speedy J issued by NovaMute), following nearly a decade without any releases from the producer, and it goes much deeper into the direction previously hinted at on Evolution. Living up to its title, the album is much subtler and more textural than Liebing's usual, ultra-immediate output. The album's tracks, all of which were co-produced by trance/techno veteran Ralf Hildenbeutel, tend to creep in rather than pound relentlessly, and some them are at slower tempos than one might expect from Liebing. Several tracks include spoken word performances, elevating the album's sense of drama. Opener "So Then" features Cold Cave's Wesley Eisold reading Alan Watts text over an ominous thump, eventually replaced by a vacuum of industrial distortion. Polly Scattergood's stark, nocturnal longings are at the center of the rippling "And All Went Dark," and Gary Numan gets oddly motivational during "Polished Chrome (The Friend, Pt. 1)". As intriguing as these tracks are, the album's best tracks all happen to be instrumentals. "Novembergrey" is by far the winner here, an unbelievably cool minimal trance-out with a shiver-inducing melody. The epic "Triology" lives up to the album's title, very slowly elevating its suspense over 19 minutes. Undeniably dark and haunting, Burn Slow succeeds in taking the listener far from the beaten path while living up to Liebing's artistic standards. As Aleen says on the alien abduction tale which ends the album, "No regrets... just a journey."
© Paul Simpson /TiVo
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