In 1998, techno dissolved into the shadows. Where Richie Hawtin’s first two Plastikman albums stripped acid to its essentials, Consumed renders minimalism in smudgy charcoal. Tempos crawl, beats skulk, and the pitch-black atmosphere is almost oppressive, with kick drums bathed in suffocating reverb. “Cor Ten” moves like a slug painting iridescent trails across a sooty dance floor; “Contain” and “Consume” balance eerie synth bleats with weary strings, yielding a somber take on sci-fi. “Consumed” is the closest things get to traditional techno, but it’s rendered wispy as a dandelion tuft, waiting to blow away at any moment.
- 2003
- 1998
- 1994
- 2022
- 2021
- 1994