Truncate is one of the better known guises of Californian based producer David Flores; who has become a mainstay in techno’s various arenas. Under his Truncate guise, Flores has released an array of records on labels such as Modularz, Mote-Evolver, Prosthetic Pressings, Sleaze and Gynoid Audio. Arguably, his works under Truncate contain Flores’ most characteristic tracks to date. However, “Pressurize” brings material that moves away from dance-floor exclusivity, exploring more experimental concepts within his productions; a welcome adaptation of Flores’ sound.
‘Pressurize‘ is Truncates first 50 Weapons and shows differences between Truncate and Flores’ other projects clearer than ever: it never ventures into the realm of hardcore like he does as his Broken Rules guise, and the tracks presented on this four tracker aren’t as straight to the point as his party orientated Audio Injection moniker.
In ‘Breakdown‘, provocative claps and thunderous drums answer to each other in the first three minutes, creating a tension that continues to grow in the background. This infectious, revolving pattern is only relieved at four minutes in when a brief moment of calm is revealed and just when almost everything ceases to exist, a heavy 4/4 rhythm enters to draw the track to a climax; a pleasing twist that I imagine would work perfectly in a dark basement club setting.
The EP continues to surprise the listener throughout. ‘Dial 20‘ (the collection’s other highlight) takes shape in a dubby-esq environment, where layers of thick, abstract sounds change rhythmically on a deformed 2-step beat; distancing the track from the obvious dub techno variants. To an avid listener of Flores’ work, it feels as if he is comfortable in this unpredictable territory of broken techno, and though the rest of Pressurize may seem a bit familiar after the A-side, it not only reveals great design and execution, but indicates that Truncate’s artistic barriers are yet to be reached.