Bodycode

Spectral Sound's first installment of the Death is Nothing to Fear series mixes the established with the new and embraces the international status the label's roster has earned after seven years of diverse, consistent output. Side A is dedicated to Audion, whose 12-minute "I Gave You Away" is a blistering mix of sprightly bass kicks and bubbly keypad melodies. On the flip, newcomer P?r Grindvik (last seen on Adam Beyer's Drumcode label) steps up the pace with the addictive, playful "Casio", and Bodycode weighs in with "Exciting Ride", a cut characterized by the spooky keyboard lines and disembodied vocal samples that made his debut The Conservation of Electric Charge "among 2006's best techno releases" (Seattle Stranger). Representing three very different centers of musical activity (Detroit, Sweden, and Portugal, respectively) in as many tracks, Death is Nothing to Fear proves that techno is still the most innovative and exciting dance music in the world.