RS 1403 by ALEX SMOKE

Experimental techno release. Check out "Oni".The past two releases by Alex Smoke have seen the Glaswegian make a big splash in the noisy pool that's R&S Records, but throughout all tracks on this EP there's the subtlest of synth-pop motifs centred inside a hard outer shell of techno. The wet acid and half-broken beats of "Green Man" sound like a futuristic combination of a Sisters Of Mercy instrumental mixed with Thom Yorke-style vocals funnelled into a circular Alex Smoke rhythm, while there's an Egyptian feel to the light tech house of "LSD". "Tommy Knockers" is the EP's high energy dance track, with detuned synths creating a melodic havoc in the background while "Oni" again remains on a Middle Eastern tip, this time with flecks of rave and a big serving of industrial atmospheric and percussion.