Natural Born Techno

3 (Nova Zembla)
by Joshua Brown

For the most part, Natural Born Techno 3 is an example of what the typical non-punter thinks of when s/he hears the word “techno,” i.e. press a button and let the machine do its thang. The first three tracks, despite Elysium‘s dusty angel non-language opera, are repetitive enough that a technophile can safely say they’re repetitive without having to backtrack when the inevitable response, “But isn’t it all overly repetitive?” comes up. Track four offers us the album’s token ambient piece, replete with imitation whale songs and upbeat but contemplative electronic percussion that always seems to start a couple minutes into it. Natural Born Techno 3, released on a Belgian label, has its worthwhile moments, most of which occur later in the album and are designed for the dancefloor mix or as a backdrop to various, ostensibly hip goings-on. Astrologica‘s track, “Tullip” [sic] uses looped laughter for E-poppin’ delight, Amazone‘s “Acid Drain” is an effective blend of house and hip hop, and Delta Plan‘s “Bug” is a crystal meth-o-lated heartbeat track that is pure rhythm.