“Planetary Assault Systems – Planetary People” Album Review

Jun 11

By Fofi Tsesmeli

Very few artists have influenced the trajectory of electronic music and techno as Luke Slater has. Hailing from the UK rave explosion of the late 1980s, Slater has built a legacy as one of electronic music’s most versatile and influential figures, continuously experimenting and reinventing himself through aliases such as The 7th Plain, L.B. Dub Corp, and, most notably, Planetary Assault Systems. Since its inception in the early 1990s, Planetary Assault Systems has served as Luke Slater’s purest expression of techno. The project’s releases on labels such as Peacefrog, Ostgut Ton, Token, and Mote-Evolver were elemental in defining a sound that balances intensity with remarkable insight and sagacity.

Slater just made his return to Ostgut Ton with the “Planetary People” album, ten years after the release of the seminal “Arc Angel”. I am not going to lie, the album hits different in an era when techno, its subgenres, and forms are being debated heavily, frequently with a flair of apprehension about its future. The real machine-driven, polyrhythmic, and bleepy frequencies characteristic of Slater’s style can be traced throughout the first listening session of the album.

Diving deeper, his endorsement and devotion to details start to emerge. Evocative synth lines, surprising melodic intermissions, and expanding low sub frequencies, filtered but crystal clear high hats, and warped vocals synthesize an impeccable homogenic result. “Brave Cosmo”, “Retina Burn”, “Ha Jam”, “Beton Brut” are crafted to be reinterpreted in demanding dancefloors with great sound systems. “Labyrinth”, “No Ninja”, “Generation Slip”, “Thunder Major” are brain chemistry-altering moments existing out there to prove that techno is a weapon of futurism in the hands of the mighty. The closing track, “Presently My Soul Grew Stronger”, available only in the digital release, gives you nine minutes of a soul-expanding experience. It is the amaranthine adhesive that binds the evolution of PAS’ reality with the past and a future that is yet to come.

Ostgut Ton | A-TON | unterton · Planetary Assault Systems - Planetary People

Slater’s fans are livid with his Planetary Assault Systems return to the higher octane techno realm; some have even gone as far as declaring it an Ostgut Ton instant classic. I hear you, folks. “Planetary People” is indeed an important album by an important personality who always beams innovation and consistency. The only negative thing about it is that the amazing collectible limited red/blue/white splattered colored vinyl release, and the normal vinyl release are sold out.