Sterac Electronics � Keep on Running (Music Man)

A Keep On Running
B1 Destination Reached
B2 Next Destination (Dub)

Acieed Ed asked me to start doing reviews for the aciddome, and who am I to say no. After some technical difficulties and a last minute translation to English here�s the first one, the record is about two months old now but I think the lack of attention it got justifies a late review anyway.

Steve Rachmad continues to watch the trends closely. After releasing his first electro record under the same monicker the follow up suddenly shows some clear eighties influences. Fortunately it�s not old wine in new bags, but a record which sounds surprisingly futuristic and very intense.

The A side is very oppressing and has a slow tension build up. Steve takes his time to lay down his structure, but without deviating from the essentials: no room for superfluous samples or effects. Destination Reached sounds like we were too late to avoid disaster. It continues where the first stopped, and sounds alike, but a bit more melodic and emotional, almost sad, although the added emotion makes this track even more intense. After all the tension it�s almost a relief to hear the last track. It sounds more retro than the other two, but dreamier than the usual retro stuff. The decrease in tempo, the slow synthesizer and strings and the many echoes are to blame for that.

The record sounds very original because the already well used eighties influences aren’t dominating the whole sound. Steve managed to create a very distinct atmosphere without making the record hard to listen to. Good stuff!