Molecule

Rob Hood muses over the promising future of nanocomputers in the brief liner notes of Molecules, then counterpunches with the confirmed past of evolution — which was producing complex devices at a molecular level millions of years ago. This isn't just dry theorizing or techno myth-making; Hood celebrates the triumph of biology over technology throughout the record, his first LP as Monobox. His productions are, as usual, straitjacket-tight and uniformly clean examples of minimal techno, but they're so spirited and full of life that they prove the lie behind the term machine music. Molecules is gloriously reminiscent of the early-'90s peak of simple, unadorned techno — Hood calls on Red Planet tones here, a clanging, out-of-time Basic Channel piano chord there, disembodied partial vocal samples, sub-aquatic bass, and echoey effects — not too much a techno fan hasn't heard before. What he does with these is an entirely different matter, master-crafting a warmer vision of Minimal Nation out of the perfectly timed interplay of a few basic elements.