Marc Romboy: Systematic Colours Volume Two

Marc Romboy
Systematic Colours Volume Two
Systematic Recordings
2009-04-14

Systematic head Marc Romboy helms Systematic Colours Volume Two, having carefully combed more than an hour’s worth of the label’s house and jarring techno for the mix. Frenetic experimental productions appear alongside very floor-friendly releases on Romboy’s serving, with the more proggy end of techno occupying the majority of the set. Volume Two follows the Systematic cross-section dealt in 2006 by Stephan Bodzin (also a steadfast advocate of fragmented, manic techno), Herzblut founder and a prolific producer in his own right whose name appears several times in this tracklist, along with Gui Boratto, Spirit Catcher, and more.

If Romboy’s mix hits a snag, it vanishes in minutes. Consistent with the Systematic catalog, a lot of “versus” entries populate the set — Romboy vs. Bodzin, Romboy vs. Boratto — and the pairups (some dating back two or so years) represent blistering, creative highlights. The Ante Perry vs. Babylon Robots contribution, “3 A.M.”, covers for the uninteresting opener with a tight spread of percussion and stop/starts blanketed in dramatic synths. The first of the Romboy vs. Bodzin cuts here, 2007’s “Callisto”, benefits from the occasional fluttering atmospherics that consume massive space on Bodzin’s hard drive; his epic mind-melter “Planet Ypsilon” would be absolutely skeletal without them. Belgian duo Spirit Catcher saw considerable acclaim in 2008 with their debut EP for Systematic, and Romboy melds its A-side’s soaring, multi-peaking swarm of melody into his adversely dismal mix of “Eurasia”, an entry bearing Gui Boratto’s name but not much of his cheery arrangements. It’s rich with winnowing hisses, nonetheless, and like most of Romboy’s choices, serves dutifully as a “pick up some more Systematic” signpost.

RATING 6 / 10