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CMU Approved
Approved: Bryan Chapman
By Paul Vig | Published on Tuesday 25 September 2018
British techno in the 90s skewed away from the continental variety, going a bit more dark and introspective. Stalwarts like Dave Clarke, Dave Angel and Luke Slater spring to mind. Fast forward to 2018, we have Bryan Chapman with his first LP release, ‘Seven Shadows And Iron Lungs’, on his own Monotony label, which at times takes us back to those halcyon days.
Chapman has previously released music though 8 Sided Dice, Bouq and Monique Musique. For ‘Seven Shadows And Iron Lungs’, and Monotony itself, he has a clear vision for this and his future work.
Nevertheless, the album is a varied feast, with some more club-orientated cuts and a few slightly more inward-looking tracks. The concept of the album is apparently – as Chapman puts it – “about finding serenity in the acceptance of death”, though that doesn’t necessarily come across for me.
In terms of the Monotony label as a whole, he says his aim is “to create psychedelic and monotonous techno”. I think he does that with this release, but not in an overly self-absorbed way.
Stand outs on the record are the rather epic ‘Black’, which impresses over its thirteen minutes, and ‘Carcosa’, which is one of those tracks that takes us back to the 90s. Meanwhile the trance-y bleeper ‘Cut The Kids In Half’ does a good job of introducing his talents and the feel of his productions. Check it here:
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