Petrichor - 8/10
'mångata' (Soma)
Retrospective projects sometimes fall a little flat, relying too much on archaic technology and played out sounds to support their throwback ethic. But there are a lot of musicians who get it right with a retrospective approach, and Petrichor, aka Simon Stokes, is one of them.
'Mångata' is being released as a continuous one-hour long mix, and we can see why – each track merges into the next, creating an aural tapestry worthy of a place in anyone's record collection. Standout moments come via 'Antigen', a delicate, wistful opener followed by 'Amor Fati' with its optimistic melody and chunky beats. By the half-hour mark things get energetic, 'State Function' serving to push the BPMs up a tad, while 'Nukumor (Reprise)' is that mid-point between true beauty and raw techno. A strong collection of music from a man whose approach to 'retro' is about as sincere as you could hope for.