Architeq - Gold + Green

It’s 10.30 on Sunday night in Glasgow. You’ve been waiting in a good-natured queue in Jamaica Street, and suddenly you’re past the bouncers, paying your money and down the stairs. As you walk through the doors into the main room of the Sub Club, the sound hits you: a fat, writhing, dubbed-out slow-jam dragging you towards the dancefloor. This album has exactly the sort of sound you’d expect to hear early on in an Optimo set, and Architeq is actually a Scot based in London, so maybe there’s some truth in that analogy. Imagine Leftfield given a twisted dubstep update, or perhaps more accurately, especially on Spinning Plates or Odyssey, one of The Orb’s extended, wobbly workouts. The glitchy beats and sparky synths of Bird of Prey or Into the Cosmos also bring to mind a more expansive Harmonic 313. This is quality, challenging late-night listening that never lets itself become indulgent.