Pierce
Sentimento
Sublunar
Is Sublunar the best techno label in the world right now? Possibly. Although the Italian imprint has been around for nearly a decade now, it’s been on a hell of a run during the past few years, establishing itself as a reliable outpost for brawny, hard-charging sounds—and doing so while prioritizing quality over star power. That’s not meant as a slight toward co-founder Schiari (who’s responsible for about half of the Sublunar catalog) or anyone else on the roster, but in a time where social media is often driving even the “serious” corners of the culture, many labels seem more interested in singing up marketable personalities than talented producers. Sublunar, on the other hand, has steadily recruited a team of back-to-basics technicians, all of whom seem intent on quietly updating the “classic” techno template with some very booming—but never silly—sounds.
Pierce is one of the latest additions to the family, and after contributing a track to last year’s Veil of Echoes II compilation, he’s now returned to Sublunar with a full EP of his own. Having previously appeared on labels like Token and WSNWG, the Tbilisi-based does boast a certain techno pedigree, but Sentimento fully showcases his talents, particularly when it comes to the creation of rhythms that churn like a locomotive. Minimal but also muscular, the tracks aren’t exactly sleek—there’s too much low-end thump for that—but they do embody a kind of brutal efficiency, opting for a handful of high-impact ingredients instead of an overloaded stereo field.
The EP’s title track is an obvious highlight, its unrelenting churn offset by a two-bar synth melody that Pierce skillfully twists and tweaks over the course of the song. A similar hard-soft dynamic defines “Cassiopeia,” which pairs its smacking drums with some reverb-kissed chimes, while the sidewinding “Gunslinger” feels a bit more playful, accentuating its elastic grooves with some subtly haunted sound design. In truth, those looking for a legitimately weak tune on Sentimento will be hard-pressed to find one, but ironically, the most riotous track is one that’s not even on the vinyl edition of the release. Powered by a wonky synth refrain and several layers of intensely pulsing percussion, “Morphosis” is a loopy delight—and another sign that Pierce is someone who techno true-schoolers should definitely keep their eye on.