How to Make the Unpredictable Necessary?

With seven years separating this second album from the preceding Chroma, Stephane Dri decided not to bother breaking the listener in gently, with the fragile ecosystem and deep-space orchestration of the appropriately monikered opener, "Outpost," soon giving way to his distinctive line in Detroit-themed jack tracks. Indeed, it is barely a minute into the running order before "Higher" has carved out its caustic window in the space between the speakers, using an agitated square wave to burn through a two-chord key sequence — a hi-hat hewn from razor wire does all it can to restore order, though ultimately proves impotent in its efforts to reign in a truly fearsome groove. Herein lies the same secret that has powered so many other residents of the Motor City; whether Drexciya, Jeff Mills, or Scan X, all understand that the key comes in countering the dancefloor slam provided by an acid analog bubblebath and jack-booted percussion with a swirling of schizophrenic orchestration and developing melody. "Classic" offers the remonstration of this low-end theory, authoritative beat programming governed not so much by the effervescent bass work as the undulating orchestras that drift around the arrangement like a fog. Exceptional.