Across oceans and continents, the musical scenes of today stretch. Personal, and artistic connections made possible via technology have opened the door for an incredible amount of musical genres to grow and flourish in their respective ‘corners of the internet’. With platforms like Soundcloud and Bandcamp allowing a community driven approach to the enjoyment of these genres, the last decade and more could be considered a ‘golden age’ of music and its consumption for many. Along these lines do we look for an extended review today of, what could be considered a fine example of this, among so many other wonderful collaborations and releases that are released every week, too many to be named honestly.

Glossolalia, at its core is the combined efforts of Stuttgart based producer Nils Edte, and Mexico City based dj, and producer, Jorge Echaniz aka Eafhm. Connected through a love of Ambient, Experimental, Deep Techno and beyond, the names are no strangers to those who tread through these musical waters. Edte, head of Predawn Records has had prior releases on Ordinamento Selettivo, Initiate Records, Accents Records, Crescent London, and Eafhm’s own imprint, Secuencias Temporales. With the latter coming a few years ago and marking the start of their interactions and support. Equally as impressive, Eafhm runs, manages and maintains the aforementioned Secuencias Temporales imprint, as well as djing, and producing with releases on Indefinite Pitch, Unheard, Accents Records, and Melifera to name a few.

Coming in at four originals plus two additional remixes by MTRL and Laima Adelaide (which will be gotten to later), Glossolalia the release, and in turn title track blend and compliment the styles of both Eafhm, and Edte incredibly well. With the natural influences and inspirations taken from the jungle and forest driven aesthetics of Eafhm, the short melodic synth sequences giving bird chirps and twitters, sit well within the voids provided by the extended see-sawing bass line and pads. Tempo wise, this track sits wonderfully within the chuggy, 105-110 range that works oh, so well with this type of Deep techno sound, and acts as a great intro into the remaining faster portions of the release.

The story continues as the energy increases and we arrive at the second and third tracks of the release, Inmutar, and the ensuing remix, by fellow German producer and dj, MTRL. Starting off immediately, Inmutar channels Edte’s driving Techno presence and growls as his productions generally feature. Wonderful for establishing a presence, the tune slowly evolves, twisting and turning as the percussion provides a steady platform for a variety of textures and samples to flit in and out of existence providing movement. MTRL brings in the frenetic energy as he takes the track decidedly deeper, featuring saw-like synths and high pitched whistling sounds that ratchet up the tension, ten fold. 

From the A side, to the B side, from the peak back down again, the story unfolds to the final two originals, and a rework by Laima Adelaide. Sensi brings the tempo back down from the highs of MTRL and lands in the 120ish range. Neatly displaying a marriage of both Eafhm’s and Edtes talents, the persistent kicks and expert use of textures keep staleness at bay, also evoke memories of tracks from Adhemar, or Sub Accent to name a few. Desleir rounds out the original collaborations for the release, with breakish-like percussion departing from the rest of the 4/4 based tunes and coincidentally may be the favorite of ours. Which should come to the surprise of no one. Soaring pads, shakers and laser like sounds adorn. Really, what's not to like? Last but certainly not least, Laima Adelaide provides a rework of Desleir that would do well in many techno sets. Switching from the break beat of the original, she’s taken the track back down into the 4/4 realm but emphasized the broad, airy pads and given them the focus they so deserve. A nice come-down from any moment on high.

Overall the release showcases the best of two similar but not so similar niches, separated by a world apart but brought together through the power of the world we live in today. Something we should certainly be celebrating more, but may be taking for granted. We’d also be remiss in not mentioning the fantastic artwork, as described by the label: ‘a joint effort by Nils Edte and painter Mariano Fernandez, adorns the limited edition of 200 records. Each cover is a unique piece of the painting, making this release a truly exclusive collector's item.’

Glossolalia is out now and can be purchased both in digital and vinyl formats.