Stairwell by RETHE, Rolando

Rethe’s “Stairwell” marks the very first release of the fresh Polish label Kantrasta.

The Wroclaw-based Rethe, while of relatively young age, has already gathered quite a reputation with his releases for Emmanuel’s ARTS, as well as his own creative outlet Całość - to name but a few. With his release for Kantrasta, he continues to expand his creative boundaries - he successfully merges funky, dynamic techno with lo-fi, dub and even jazz elements.

“Between the Sea and the Sky” is probably the EP’s most straight-forward track:: massive driving beat and fierce percussion combined with Detroit-ish arpeggiated synth makes up for a real club banger.

“Generator” follows the approach - however, this time halfway through the track a breakdown brings in a much welcome dub chord. Luckily, somehow in Rethe’s interpretation the fusion of dub and techno somehow manages not to sound like yet another Basic Channel rip-off.

The titular “Stairwell” takes a very different approach - it opens with a sinister synth line, bringing to mind some of James Ruskin’s more recent output. Yet again, halfway through the track we are surprised with dubby, lofi chords, which provide it with a sense of unexpected warmth.

EP’s last offering comes from none other than the legendary DJ Rolando, with his interpretation of “Staircase”. While being based on multiple elements of Rethe’s original track, the accents definitely shift. You can hear that Rolando’s roots lie in Detroit, as his remix blends the boundaries between house and techno and sounds... moody, almost melancholic.

Kantrasta techno music label based in Poland.
Run by Gary Holldmann, Kuba Sojka & We Call It Voight-Kampff.
It's all about the groove...