Techno got loud and fast again and Charlie Sparks is one of the main reasons why. The London producer has spent the last couple of years dragging hard techno back into the spotlight, all BPMs up in the 150s and a crowd that looks more like a mosh pit than a rave, and Feel The Vibe with LAWTON is a direct hit of exactly that. The title doubles as a chant, a vocal stab looped until it stops being language and becomes pure propulsion, riding over a kick built to assault, not groove. There’s a rave-era nostalgia baked into this new wave of hard techno, the sirens and the breakbeat flickers and the sheer gleeful aggression, and Sparks weaponises all of it without ever sounding like a revival act. It’s relentless in the way that’s either exhausting or exhilarating depending entirely on your mood and your proximity to a decent rig. Me, I put it on expecting background energy and ended up pacing the room like it owed me money. This is music for rooms with no seating and no natural light, where the only plan is to lose yourself until the lights come up. Charlie Sparks understood the assignment and then doubled the tempo.
More Charlie Sparks x LAWTON? Always. Previously: LAWTON, Trancemaster Krause & Caroline Roxy - Believe In