“I AM/UR/WE WILL/RESIST!”

It’s been a while since the Underground Resistance crew have let their militant fangs show, but with the double-12 plus 7-inch Electronic Warfare 2.0 release (finally following up the classic original double-pack, released way back in 1996), and the above quoted rallying cry, they show there is some unrest left in those machines yet. Chanted, yelled, and spat out by some angry men credited simply as “The People” over a stripped-down electrofunk breakbeat and some grinding, industrial-strength noise bursts, “I AM UR” (note the all caps) lays down the template here with a definitive call to arms. Not only is this the first track of the fiercest things they’ve done for ages, it’s also one of the best, a power grab that UR have been sorely missing over the last few years. They’ve shown some flashes for sure, but this is the real deal, crisp and sizzling with attitude. Those looking for the next “Windchime” or “Jupiter Jazz” can turn their ears elsewhere. This is strictly “Seawolf” territory. No cheese allowed.

Over the six sides, the electromenace stomps through a variety of tough-minded analog instrumentals and vocal tracks, all of which are tight, minimal, funky-as-fukk, and thoroughly aggressive. I assume that “Kill My Radio Station” (also on the bonus 7-inch in an acapella version for extra mixing fun) is aimed at Detroit locals, but in these days of ClearChannel, et al, it could easily apply just about everywhere on earth. Then there’s “Kut (UR Heavy Analog Deployment),” kicking out one of the illest fuzz riffs ever over some snapping live drums and punctuating grunts. Uh! Mm! Uh! Mm! Uh! I’m a pretty mild-mannered dude, but this shit made me want to punch some oppressive fucker in the face! Uh!

Simply put, UR have dropped some serious artillery here, kicking that sissyfied techno back into the European disco it crawled out of. Black bandanas are optional but recommended. (Need more ammunition? There’s a separate four-cut single Electronic Warfare 2.1 available exclusively from Submerge mail order, as well.)

Underground Resistance / UR-072
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[Listen 1/ Listen 2]
[Todd Hutlock]

It’s been a long gap between releases on Underground Resistance—just over a year—but those expecting Mad Mike to come back with some sort of reinvention of the UR wheel will be sorely disappointed—but only for a second. “Hi-Tech Dreams” is classic Detroit techno funk, deep and smooth but with a distinct grit to it thanks to the slightly harder elements of the main bass riff and snapping beats. Distorted vocals come courtesy of UR Agent Chaos alongside some female wailing, giving the jazzed-up space groove a sharper edge, as do the rather sinister out-of-time breakdowns and rhythmic jumps. It won’t make you forget “Jupiter Jazz,” but it’s definitely cut from the same cloth.

On the flip, “Hold My Own” is a downtempo hybrid of rock, funk, and hip-hop that works as a political statement but not really as a memorable piece of music, but “Lo-Tech Reality” is the A-side’s evil twin, reprising the rhythmic punch of “Hi-Tech Dreams” in a stripped-down mode and a sinister voiceover explaining that “You don’t really understand any of this.” Oozing with urban politics and some truly wicked analog noise loops, “Lo-Tech” is what ghetto menace sounds like when transmitted from Detroit directly to Mars. This is a fine return to form, and as long as they don’t take a year to issue a follow-up, UR should be back on top of the Detroit techno dogpile in no time.

Underground Resistance / UR-071
[Listen]
[Todd Hutlock]