DJ Balduin / T_NO „Split“ (Inch by Inch) – frohfroh – electronic music from leipzig

A new record from Inch by Inch was released in mid-May – the record shop in the west of Leipzig has now arrived at catalog number 007 and a new genre for the label. Here is our review.

inch by inch For the last five years there has been a solid record store authority in Leipzig when it comes to techno, house and electro
etc. Here you will mainly find used vinyl, but also selected new items from local labels and beyond. In addition, the name Inch By Inch stands for distribution and also: its own label. Run by shop owner Philipp aka Drunkenstein himself and stylistically very diverse, everything from Electro, Ambient/IDM, Italo Disco and House can be found here.

With the latest (split) release, another genre may be added to this list: Techno. The two available tracks by DJ Balduin and T_NO are “heavy content”, just as the sticker on the vinyl sleeve already suggests. So put the needle on it, pull up the volume control and off you go.

“Dafnes Bell” by Balduin starts at a leisurely 123 bpm, with a bass way down, metallic hihat, percussive and deep. After about a minute, a rhythmically played bell joins in, which then sets the tone. Short break, off we go.

A rich groover with a melancholic base note, which constantly opens up new spaces with a playing length of about nine minutes. There always seems to be something moving in the background. According to Balduin himself, the piece was created in 2020 in the seclusion of a small hut in Italy. The daily routine involved forest and garden work rather than producing tracks, especially since a generator had to be operated for this purpose. Out of boredom and when looking for walking partners, he found Dafne via an app. Although they never met, she became his digital pen pal for the four weeks in the wilderness. In his mind, it is she who plays the unmistakable bell. The piece is dedicated to her.

On the Flipside, T_NO shifts up a gear again. With driving percussion, FM-like synth bells and trancey early 90s pads with an ultra-long reverb tail, things are no less hypnotic here. Now and then a subkick sneaks in, which gives the whole thing another boost. “Revolver” is a strong track that doesn’t even get boring at almost ten minutes.

Number 007 on Inch By Inch is definitely dedicated to the club, you can smell the fog. All in all a round thing and a very hot tip!