Robert Hood returns with Omega, his new album after last year’s re-issue of his seminal 1994 LP Minimal Nation that nicknamed him 'the inventor of minimal techno'. However, an artist is only as good as his last album, so let's go for an in-depth analysis on his most recent workings...
Robert Hood is often credited as ‘the inventor of minimal techno’, a nickname earned with the release of his sensational 1994 album Minimal Nation. We’re not talking about that clickety-clackety doobie-schmoobie German stuff such as Ellen Allien or Dominik Eulberg though. We’re referring to that nasty stomping Detroit shit that’s been around for over two decades now and has its origin in the dystopian ghetto’s of USA’s Motor City. Robert Hood’s techno is indeed minimal, yet his tunes blow his audience away with mean punching kicks, slamming drums, warm strings and static basslines. His unique, uncompromising sound has made him an absolute legend in the eyes of tech heads around the globe. Now, one year after the re-issue of Minimal Nation, Robert returns with a new album on his own M-Plant label. Omega is said to be based on the 1971 cult classic science Fiction film The Omega Man and derived from the 1954 novel I Am Legend. Yes, that’s a pretty heavy concept for an album indeed… “It’s definitely metaphoric “, says Robert. “and if we don’t heed the signs, this is wehre we’ll end up. We live in a society where we just consume. We just take. We don’t operate on the concept of living.â€
Well then, on to the album. Overall speaking, Omega indeed bears a strong touch science fiction, not in the last place because of track titles such as The Plague, The Wheels Of Escape and Towns That Disappeared Completely. Sound wise, Robert stays true to his minimal roots, but we also get to hear more subtle electronic in between. Alpha (The Beginning) opens the tune with a spoken word intro supported by rattling hi-hats, after which the electronica on The Plague (Cleansing Maneuvers) reveal the heat of a thousand burning suns torturing a completely destroyed wasteland that once must have been a prosperous metropolis. It is not until the third track, Towns That Disappeared Completely, that we get to hear four-to-the-floor techno. This somewhat vintage tune is a filthy piece of stabbing acid with a repetitive bassline as its main theme and whirlwinds of synths and sound fx covering up its basics. Too bad that acid bass starts to get a bit annoying after listening to it for five consecutive minutes. Nope, we rather go for the nasty Aplha, a merciless techno beast fueled by raw kicks, industrial claps and nervously rattling drums. The Family Watches is another fine example of Robert’s skills in creating superb techno. This hi-hat driven tune oozes with energy and modulatedcomputer fx, a sound continued on the completely freaked out but absolutely stunning War In The Streets. The album closes with the sinister Omega (End Times), in which all hope for a better world is lost forever. Darn good tune though.
Omega is not the easiest album to listen to. It demands a couple of spins to reveal its true merit due to the mechanic, industrial and dark vibe that covers each track. Nonetheless, Robert Hood has managed to create a conceptual album that sounds ‘richer’ than any of the man’s previous tunes and is therefore alone worth the purchase. A very atmospheric that reflects multiple messages. It’s up to you how you perceive it.
Rating: 7.8/10 Label: M-Plant Release date: June 21, 2010
Tracklist:
1. Alpha (The Beginning) 2. The Plague (Cleansing Maneuvers) 3. Towns That Disappeared Completely 4. Alpha 5. Think Fast 6. The Workers of Iniquity 7. Are You God? 8. The Family Watches 9. War in the Streets 10. Saved By The Fire 11. The Wheels of Escape 12. Omega (End Times)
Album Review
