X-Altera: X-Altera (Tadd Mullinix, Colored Vinyl) Vinyl 2LP

It’s a great time to be a Tadd Mullinix fan. Here we thought the man was content tucked away in a lake house somewhere in rural Michigan, turning out the occasional James T. Cotton record but mostly just painting. Just a few months after the release of a long-awaited third Dabrye LP (and a full Dabrye catalog reissue), Mullinix continues on a bassy streak with the unveiling of a new alias, X-Altera. Fans of the Soundmurderer & SK-1 project should be all over this, as it’s a wistful tribute to vintage jungle-techno hybrids by Kenny Larkin, A Guy Called Gerald, The Black Dog and early 4Hero. We recommend diving straight into the Bukem-grade euphoria that opens side 1, “Compount Extraprotus,” and stay locked for the duration. Mullinix makes a full journey from one end of the spectrum to the other; tracks like “Parallel Rites” and “Holotyd Neo-Optika” trade in bonafide bleep techno, whereas the tin can polyrhythm in “Check Out The Bass” and flanged breaks of “Entry” sound like they were pulled straight out of Black Secret Technology. A lot of stifled techno grandads have been cashing in on renewed interest in jungle, but X-Altera feels different; it’s clear that Mullinix has lived and breathed this shit for decades. Neon green colored double vinyl pressing housed in deluxe sleeve designed by Manuel Sepulveda, recommended.

• neon green colored double vinyl pressing
• artwork by Manuel Sepulveda
• digital download included
• limited edition
• music label: Ghostly International 2018

reviewed by edward james almost 06/2018