FUTURE BEAT ALLIANCE - PATIENCE & DISTANCE (Eevonext)

Since 1996, Matthew Puffet has produced a high-quality stream of warm, melodic techno under the name Future Beat Alliance. “Patience and Distance” is his third full-length release, following 2001’s excellent “Disconnected” and 1997’s unreleased “Hidden Emotion,” which finally made its way to listeners in 2008.  The album,  among other things, sounds as if it might have been produced concurrently with either of those prior works.  Or rather, all three albums sound as if they could have been produced in 1992.  

It will be classified by many as ‘electronica’ or ‘Detroit techno,’ and there is some truth to this.  Certainly the influence of IDM and Detroit sounds are in evidence here.  As with Puffet’s earlier releases, though, it more clearly harks back to early British re-interpretations of Detroit techno.  Specifically, those groups and sounds labeled as ‘intelligent techno,’ who washed Detroit’s melodic sensibilities with ambient pads, slowed down to a near-Balearic tempo. Even the group’s name is deliberately reminiscent of one of ‘intelligent techno’s’ mainstays, The Future Sound of London.   

This is not to pigeonhole “Patience and Distance” as nostalgia, but rather to point out that Puffet seems largely impervious to change or trend.  This timelessness will likely appeal to those who feel that, in the quests for better production values and more architectural sounds, techno has lost the heart, soul and enthusiasm of its halcyon days. Unfortunately, “Patience and Distance” at times goes too far in its quest to recapture these crucial elements. 

First, the good.  Album opener “Soundscape 49” provides listeners with pleasant intelligent techno ambience, as does the more cinematic “Which Direction.”  “Breathe in Your Fear” is compelling, slow-mo techno, something we don’t hear much of nowadays.  The undulating, arpeggiated bells of “Within Words” immediately bring Orbital to mind, accompanied as they are by deep synth pads and motorik bass. Title track ‘Patience and Distance’ is simply gorgeous, an anthem for sunrise moments.  “Do You Dream” is the only ‘pure’ techno track on the album.  It is certainly the most dancefloor-friendly selection on Patience and Distance. Pairing Carl Craig Landcruising-esque era rhythm and bass with soaring pads and choral flourishes, “Do You Dream” is epic stuff.

 At other times, though, Puffet’s formula encounters problems. ‘Tritonitis’—the clinical condition whereby a lack of attention to sound architecture gives the impression, rightly or wrongly, that songs were made using the presets on a Korg Triton—infects much of the album. At a few select times, such as with the slow-mo “Eremin 5” and album closer “Stone Cold,” the result is forgettable album filler.  More frequently, though, ‘tritonitis’ comes in the form of the missed opportunity.  IDM offering “Face Them” is very strong, musically, but would have benefited from some additional sound processing.  The same can be said for the Balearic “Contact Yourself” and neo-Detroit “Rant,” as well as the inventive, yet flawed “Reverse the Negative.”  

All in all, “Patience and Distance” is an uneven work that offers some distinct highs and lows.  When successful, Puffet shows that melody and feeling are as vital to techno as obsessive architecturalism.  At other times, he goes too far in this direction.  More generally, if 2010 is the year in which techno artists mine its rich history for new sources of inspiration, then it is notable not only for its own musical contributions, but also for bringing a vital and under-explored slice of techno’s past back into the conversation. 

Gustav Brown