QWERTY by CONNECTIVE ZONE

Hurrah for Emoticon! The 10th release is fact. To celebrate this they have asked Connective Zone to produce 4 tracks for them. Connective Zone, aka Lincoln-based duo Graham Sims and Simon Button, have been making their unique brand of deep techno for many years, for labels including the now-defunct a13, and, more recently, the pure plastic offshoot UXB. Emoticon featured 'Hubpie' on the third sampler ep earlier this year, and now we follow it up with a full EP. Warm strings, thick chords, multi-layered synth melodies and crisp beats are the order of the day, with influences coming from early Detroit techno and 'artificial intelligence' era UK electronics. All four tracks pack a soulful punch, drawing from the past but allowing their individual sound to shine through. Rhythmically they range from straight-up 4/4 beats to more syncopated patterns, and are sure to find favour with more adventurous DJs as well as home listeners. Strong one again.