Alexis Tyrel Return To Planet Alpha

Lessismore record label, founded in 2003 by the Dutch DJ and producer Alexis Tyrel together with MBC, has been home for mostly his own releases under all his monikers and 'various artist' compilations. 'Return To Planet Alpha' continues in this tradition, being a second long-player of Alexis Tyrel after his debut 'Newtradition' from 2011.

Return To Planet Alpha is a collection of elegant techno tracks which instead of following the now so popular dark and destructive path focuses on daily moods and airy atmosphere, which is closer to open air and lounge than to sweaty pits of contemporary rave. But that doesn't mean that the twelve tracks are just indistinctive background music. For one thing, Tyrel is a master of slick and tight beat foundations of kick drums and bass, often smoothed out with cool synth pads, onto which he layers all kinds of rhythmical chains, subtle melodic ideas and sounds ranging from vintage synths and industrial bits to organic textures and even field recordings.

Another distinctive feature of Alexis Tyrel is diversity and playfulness. The sound environment of the LP, which is obvious from the album and track titles, inclines to a space theme, mainly thanks to the synthesizers recalling the 1980s. But instead of just recreating that sound, Alexis Tyrel uses the associative effect of the vintage synths and puts them in his own contemporary context.

Many tracks also have a physical vibe of playing live, real time manipulation and improvisation, like Concurnation or Homeboy. The opening track Plant DeltaGema Process and Orbiting Planet Alpha are synth showers of all colors, shapes and rhythms, from acid prods to shimmering nebulas. For All You Flonkers is a cheeky and spry tune with a blithe motive hopping above an energic beat. Its remix is based on a distorted synth and a perfectly smooth groove as a base, which lets turbulences of synths and bubbling water recordings seep through it. Potential of the Lonely Star is a sweet, sparkling gem working with string instruments, from violin to harp. The closing track Nothing In Between is the most minimalistic piece of the album, revealing various synth sounds one by one, as if they would be saying goodbye in the end of a jazz concert.

Return To Planet Alpha is a magician's hat for a DJ, from which you can always pick the right tune in various moments and locations. Both on Earth and in a space bar.