Thomas Hessler Push EP

Thomas Hessler returns with his second full EP for IMF, with four tracks further establishing the on-the-rise German producer’s talent for sleek, agile techno. EP opener Push is the record’s most intense cut, brimming with a powerful intent that’s barely contained by the track’s dramatic surging synths. It’s followed by Rise, which matches its rhythmic urgency to an escalating melody that teases while it builds towards its cathartic ‘house lights up’ moment. The record’s B1 track, the aptly-titled Reflections, is the EP’s most contemplative, with an unwavering pulse underpinning a subtle rising-and-falling melody that always threatens to burst into technicolour before dipping back into darkness. Finally, EP closer The Hope may be optimistically named yet is conversely the track most likely to incite dancefloor panic, with a drum rhythm that bucks like a rodeo bull, to which your best course of action is to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.