The A-side of this classic Detroit techno track played inside out — from the runout to the dead wax at the outer edge. When this feat is only the second most impressive thing about a record, you know you’ve got a good ‘un.
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Originally released in 1992 under one of the less prolific monikers of the extremely prolific Hood (“The Vision“), Toxin 12 is up for a repress. “A-472.0” is still the monster that I remember — deeply influential, it tamed what sounded like feedback, drum machines and malfunctioning lasers into one of the rudest techno tracks ever made. “Virus-4-9K561” sounds better today than it did then, produced as it was before the dawn of Minimal Nation. Hood here and on “Dread” had mastered the art of creating a rare physicality to his music — the growling, rumbling bass that you feel before you hear it.
Toxin 12 (a title not actually on the original release) is available under Hood’s real name rather than The Vision via vinyl and digital, which in this case is sort of like buying a photograph of a Maserati for half the price of a real one, but YMMV!
Robert Hood: Toxin 12 (M Plant) Track Listing
A1. Robert Hood: “H-Formula” (5:41)
A2. Robert Hood: “A-472.0” (5:22)
B1. Robert Hood: “Virus-4-9K561” (4:14)
B2. Robert Hood: “Dread” (6:32)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was submitted as a promo by EPM.
This was originally published in #Expansion: 5 Mag Issue #198 with Louie Vega, Brian Jackson, Beretta Music and more. Support 5 Mag by becoming a member for as little as $1 per issue.
