STREAM: Sam Paganini – Satellite

Foremost international techno outlet Drumcode is set to release its next full-length album in September.  The 12 track ‘Satellite’ LP by enduring Italian techno talent Sam Paganini is a surprisingly diverse piece of work.  No two tracks sound the same on Satellite.  It’s ridiculous.  Sam is always teasing out a new bit of texture, nailing a slightly different vibe or exploring different amounts of light and dark throughout the course of this album.

Though he has been active since the mid nineties, recent years have been hugely successful for Sam, with searing techno EPs coming on revered labels such as Riche Hawtin’s Plus8, Sven Vath’s Cocoon and of course, Adam Beyer’s Drumcode. In his time he has been responsible for underground hits like ‘Zoe’, ‘Polyester’ and ‘Fire In My Arms’, all of which demonstrate his dynamic understanding of sexy, dark and hypnotic techno grooves.

Incredibly, ‘Satellite’ is Sam’s first full-length album. Informed by his DJ gigs at legendary places like Berghain in Berlin and Cielo in New York, the album starts with a sonic and atmospheric bit of scene setting.

From there it’s a case of getting straight down to business. ‘Another Chance’ is a spacey bit of cantering techno and ‘White’ is rooted in devastating kick drums and is riddled with serrated synth lines that build lots of great techno pressure. ‘Down’ is an undulating bit of funky techno complete with vocal flourishes and tracks like ‘Lotus’ are prime offerings from the deeper end of the scale.

We’re loving this LP here!  Personally, we’re probably going to be spinning ‘Dusty’, ‘Silver Panorama’, ‘Rave’ and ‘Sunflower’ a fair whack over the next few months.  Make sure you get a copy of this for yersel when it drops on the 15th of September.