Thomas Schumacher

German DJ-producer Thomas Schumacher has his own definition of techno. It's the sound of industrial-heavy pounding exerted with hypnotic energy, as demonstrated throughout his mix on Sci-Fi Level 3.3. The disc is an exciting collection of hard, but artful, Detroit-styled tracks. Several of Schumacher's own are featured in the mix, including "Integrate 1," "Trace It Back" and a variety of remixes for 3 Phase and Elektrochemie. Harkening back to the days of Chicago acid trax, the sounds gather dark bass lines, sweet rhythms and energetic tempos with a contemporary feel. But aside from these, there are times when his mix starts to jump like ravers on overdose, flushing out hi-hats and synth on red alert. Such moments (as heard on Tobias Schmidt's "Forgotten" and DJ One Fingers "House Fucker") would serve as the climax for any other DJ, but Schumacher takes the listener down gently with the deeper grooves on Chris McCormack's "The Maximalist" and "Banjo," from Kevin Saunderson's E-Dancer. The inclusion of his remix of nasal-voiced Patrick Coutin's "J'Aime Regarder Les Filles" adds a rare, but welcome bit of humour to this otherwise explosive session.