Boundary

Boundary is the new moniker for the Juno-nominated Ghislain Poirier (usually known as simply Poirier), who steps out of his familiar electronic dancehall territory to bring us a 13-track album of minimal techno. Unlike the recent resurgence in dark, banging, dystopian techno, Boundary is far more optimistic. Bright, cinematic and heavily digital — several analogue synth parts aside — Boundary is more akin to the output of early Warp or underground Finnish producer Ukkonen than the canon of Detroit or Berlin techno. Poirier's penchant for Caribbean and Latin rhythms is still present, particularly on "Expo 67" and "Abidjan," which isn't surprising given the Montreal producer's background of dancehall- and soca-infused electronic music. In this context, however, the danceable beats feel more like cheeky stowaways than invited guests, but have a welcome place at the table nonetheless. Boundary is an intriguing album from an evolving and engaged Canadian producer who isn't afraid to step out of his comfort zone, whether it's remixing Ariane Moffatt's Québécoise electro-pop or trying his hand at techno.