The Mole – As High As The Sky

Spaced out techno with a funky as hell tech driven minimal tone that even veers towards the loopy disco and acid sound from time to time. The Mole is a Canadian artist on Wagon Repair Records, who have released Mathew Johnson and Monologue to name but a few. As High As The Sky is one hell of a good record.

The thing that makes it stand out from other techno releases I have heard in a while is the drums, they are all pretty much live sounding and organic. They have a rolling disco feel to them; they have a crunch. I can hear a bit of Homework era Daft Punk in a few tunes. Some may even say they are some Jacking beats, a Chicago flavour can be heard in some places. This kind of sound has been lost in minimal and tech driven stuff for a while, and its done really well here.

The sound pallet is pretty diverse and it really keeps you hooked. It all sounds a bit like a DJ set and a great party all at once, each track bringing something new to the night and slaying the floor. The stand out tracks are: Still In My Corner, which is a brilliant slow burner with fat electro bass and bongo loops, kind of like really slow minimal techno by the likes of Mathew Dear. Alice, You Need Him with its tweaty high pitched synth loop that pings through your mind and is very infectious. The midsection of Hey Girl (I Fell So Good) & Baby, You’re The One (Edit) remind me of Daft Punk Homework era a lot with their filtered funk disco loops. Like The Way is a treat with its looped vocals and techy deep flow. The pads and ghostly spoken loop give off a sad and mellow atmosphere that reaches its peak as the song slows its pace and mellows to its end. Smiling Not Running has a addictive bass line with some acidic tweaks thrown in for good measure. Knock Twice has another ace baseline but this time a lopped funk number which is accentuated by its twangy funk guitar line. The closer When It Tastes So Good You Deserve It is a wicked spacy tune with a slow digital bass that fades in and out while floaty jazz pings proliferate around you. This culminates in a very mad and strange ending which made me smile…

The whole album is a joy to listen to from beginning to end, it’s not to banging and it isn’t to dark either. As High As The Sky has just a hint of mellowness and a whole heap of warmth. Its like your floating in space but in your favourite cosy blanket. Pure dance floor joy executed with precision and style.

Hear samples and buy it here.