ROBERT HOOD: ALPHA / OMEGA (M-PLANT)

At the end of March, Minimal’s father-figure Robert Hood launches a fresh salvo from his M-Plant stable and a taster of his Omega album due for release this summer.
Drawing inspiration from the 1971 Charlton Heston cult Sci-Fi flick Omega Man, Alpha / Omega (End Times) is a characteristically pounding yet refined trip through Hood’s deeply hypnotic, relentlessly stripped down style.
Alpha begins with a huge, bellowing wash of sidechained sub bass which is hammered into shape by a potent kick as dry, syncopated, infinitely synthetic elements push their way in and out of the mix and a haunting, single-note pad whines across the landscape. Omega (End Times) takes the pounding a step further; an already abyssal kick suddenly drops several further fathoms after 32 bars; tightly reverbed percussion skitters into play and insistent rhythmatic synth line carries the listener over the track’s peaks and troughs with compelling urgency.
Alpha / Omega (End Times) is an exciting glimpse into what is sure to be one of Techno’s most talked about albums this year and while offering little in the way of a significant musical shift, this release is nevertheless a blinding example of the devil may care ethos and meticulous production values that have elevated and sustained Hood’s standing as one of the last decade’s true giants of electronic music.

Words by Chris Lawes.