- It's an open secret that techno labels like Perc Trax are gradually establishing themselves on a brand of techno that's often fundamentally retro even at its most futurist. So open, in fact, that the label has plucked a track from 1999 for its latest release, updating it with remixes by label head Perc and Forward Strategy Group. Directly referencing contemporary techno's roots, it shows that clearly not all that much has changed in the ensuing years.
Justin Berkovi's original "Backshredding" does sound a little dated, but it's a fine track with every element filtered and flanged to oblivion, smoothed off and given a sickly grey finish. The track hurtles down a never-ending wind tunnel at a blistering 135 BPM, as the dubby liquid chords undulate under extreme pressure. By the time it reaches the final stretch, it's exhausting, claustrophobic and unforgiving—a perfect fit for Perc Trax.
But the focus of this kind of reissue is usually the remixes, the precarious task of updating a quasi-classic. Perc's remix is a bottom-heavy precision march, bolstered with harsh frequencies and bursts of static like staggered gunshots. Faint snippets of the original's chord progression waft in like a fuzzy memory until it embeds itself into the track's hurricane eye. On the other hand, and bearing absolutely no resemblance, is Forward Strategy Group's remix which channels "Backshredding" through grisly pillars of oscillating white noise over a trembling needlepoint breakbeat. The duo's comparatively leisurely grind almost overshadows the original's relentless propulsion, but the fact remains that as remixes neither producer does anything to particularly expand on Berkovi's original vision. For a classic techno workout and a few worthy contributions from contemporary admirers, however, you can't really go wrong.
Tracklist A Backshredding (Forward Strategy Group Remix)
B1 Backshredding (Perc Remix)
B2 Backshredding