Atropa is a fresh project hailing from Athens, Greece, formed by Evniki Alatza and Dimitris Prapas. They made their debut on the Gourmet Vol. 1 compilation from Headstick Records with Wanga Tanga, a light and breezy track with a great deal of depth. The two tracks reviewed here were released simultaneously, and do not seem to have been packaged as an EP, but it makes sense to consider them as such. The contrasting moods of Creamy and Onova highlight their fundamental differences, yet the constant tempo and similar production approach reveals a deeper similitude. There is no cover associated with this release (I just snagged something random from their web site), and each track was self-mastered, but you can’t beat the price—less than two bucks for the set.

Creamy features a rolling bass-heavy groove, quirky sounds, delirious atmospheres, and raspy snare-driven percussion. Sharp noises emerge in surprising ways from sudden transitions, adding to the vertiginous sense of disarray. Broken beats spar with cunning acid riffs in the breakdown, spilling into an easy return to the mischievous rhythms before long. Shivering metallic notes erupt in the final minutes to beguile the listener one more time. This strange and uncommon production will blend well with deep and moody progressive psytrance.

Atropa take a more conventional approach with Onova, a slick morning tune loaded with luscious atmospheric pads, swirling melodies, and forceful tribal toms. It builds gradually, accruing energy in the steady fashion favoured by many progressive producers. The shimmering highs exhibit an almost Scandinavian austerity; comparisons to Gaudium would not be unwarranted. Nice track!

This ad hoc EP is a worthwhile choice for progressive DJs playing in the ~132 BPM range. Atropa prove they have potential; small improvements in their production technique and continued dedication are sure to pay off for this up and coming group. At this stage, Creamy and Onova are solid offerings that deserve to be rescued from obscurity. Interested? Visit Atropa’s page on Cytopia.org for full-length previews and pay-for-download options.

Subnet012 features two of the last tracks Vincent Courcot released under his Tetraktys moniker (one of which is a collaboration with Kali Frogz). In addition, this EP contains a pair of songs from his newer project, Motion. Encompassing pumping techno, heartfelt techtrance, and fat progressive grooves, every song on Subnet012 sounds fresh and invigorating—despite having been composed in 2004 and 2005. Vincent’s impressive production quality shines through the years, and the mastering job is solid as well. As Subnet012 is freely available for download in WAV format (as well as the usual 320k MP3), this release earns my highest recommendation!

MP3 Download | WAV Download · Download count: 3,578.

Subnet012 is released under the Creative Commons by the French label Sub-Machine.net. Visit the Subnet012 drop page for links to the files, or use the download links above.

If you enjoy this single, Sub-Machine.net has at least a couple more releases that may be of interest: Motion’s Barely Legal EP (which features some of the first material from that project) and an archive of unreleased Tetraktys tunes from 2001, some of which are in WAV format.

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