23 by Urbano
Brazilian-born German producer with mature debut album of Ambient Techno
With a few releases under his belt on labels like Dynamic Reflection, Decoy and Affin, Brazilian-born Techno producer Urbano, aka Luigi Urban, has risen to the challenge of a full album on Christian Gerlach's Lanthan.audio label and delivers admirably.
Fusing eerie ambient soundscapes (Forget Your Memories, Never Ending, A Trip To Myself) with emotive Techno (Control Your Mind, Travel Inside Your Head) we're guided through the coercive head space of a bright young mind at work. The track titles hint at something deeper lurking in the thought process behind 23 but overall Urban demonstrates his understanding of accepted traits in contemporary Techno, making it easy to draw comparisons with influential milestones like Kangding Ray's Solens Arc or Shed's The Killer. The question is: where does he go from here? Album highlight, the stirring anthem Brother, points the way.
8/10 after 10 listens