Chilean-born Dittmann follows up his vinyl debut from earlier this year (and an MP3 EP on Archipel from ‘05) with three more tracks of organic minimalist grooves, moving from RRYGULAR to Echocord in the process. This time out, however, Dittmann seems to have dialed up the excitement level a bit. It’s all relative of course, as these cuts are still full of gently pulsing beats, dubby phased sounds, and underwater ambient washes, but where the Bajo El Vocan EP meandered somewhat aimlessly, these grooves drift with more purpose, a stronger construction. A-side “Buena Decision” sounds like Villalobos on downers or maybe classic Orb minus the dippy samples, while “Dr. Murnau” and “Sin Saber” on the flip are shorter and more uptempo excursions, with the latter hitting a particularly nice “rainforest boogie” sound. Dittmann has honed and upgraded his craft between releases, and at this pace, I expect the next one to be virtually flawless.

Echocord / echocord21
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[Todd Hutlock]