This week's techno CD reviewed

CARL TAYLOR

Foundation/ Auterform Records***

On his debut album, Carl Taylor attempts to emulate the soulful sound of Detroit techno artists such as Derrick May and Carl Craig. It's an ambitious project, and the tinny, abrasive grooves of Quadrant and Hello demonstrate Taylor's limitations as a producer, while the hard-edged, looped repetition of Impaction and Scanner have more in common with European functionality. Despite these shortcomings, Taylor succeeds in tapping into the Detroit psyche on a number of different levels: Continuumand Solace, the album's opener and outro, deliver rich, mysterious soundtrack textures. The crisp, shuffling drum machines and eerie synths of Biometric effortlessly replicate Aux 88'sstark electro sound, while the woozy, viscous bass and crystalline melodies on Sunrise capture the essence of esoteric deep techno. www.myspace.com/carltaylor43

RICHARD BROPHY

Download tracks: Biometric, Continuum, Sunrise