Scottish duo Clouds, made up of Liam Robertson and Calum Macleod, have caught the attention of everyone in the techno scene over the last few years with tracks like ‘Chained To a Dead Camel’, ‘Complete Control’ and ‘Elevator Girl’ to highlight but a few. They’ve release on the likes of Soma, Perc Trax and Firth Wall and are now back on Turbo to curate their first compilation. It’s called ‘…I Care Because You Don’t’ and is out on the legendary label fronted by Tiga.
The result of their efforts is a thoroughly engaging medley of their now well established Scottish hooligan, post-knackered and hard hitting techno. What’s also pretty cool about this is that it was compiled entirely of tracks that they received from friends of theirs ‘in Dundee, Perth, and the surrounding mud-lands’ , which, by any standards, is no mean feat. The album has a huge variety of genres in it, all of which seem to wedge themselves within the techno bracket. One can hear snippets of all sorts, including breaks, acid, cinematic soundscapes or downtempo numbers. The fact that of them are as fast as 146 bpm and others as slow as 107 just gives a rough idea of how diverse this compilation is.
Some will argue that this variety takes away from what could have been, had it been done in one definitive style. Sometimes this is true but in this case, Clouds have pushed the boundaries of techno and in the best possible way. The compilation challenges what it means to be ‘techno’ and should be viewed as protest against what is considered normal.
What’s worth having a little think about is how this compilation shines a light on what Tiga intends for Turbo in the future. The label has been slowly but surely moving away from its more electro and disco(ish) roots over the last few years to ground itself in the techno scene. This has been achieved by releasing tracks from the likes of Audion, TWR72, Gesaffelstein, Phil Kieran and of course Clouds themselves. It’s not certain what lies ahead of them but if their recent releases are anything to go by, they’re heading in the right direction.
The album was out yesterday on Turbo and can be picked up from any of the major outlets. The full album can be streamed below so go give it a listen to make your mind up for yourself.