Difficult Child – Difficult Child

This might be controversial but I'm not that keen on "Big Bang" personally. It might be a matter of perspective - in that I can see how devastating it could be in the right context, especially as it doesn't sound like much else from the time. But as someone who came to this later, instead it feels like a raw early prototype of the schranz/hard techno of the 00s. So rather than the excitement of when this was breaking the boundaries, instead it just reminds me of every shit London squat party I went to when the tunes were so monotonous you almost stopped ing it as music. So even though this IS better than those tunes, it still feels a bit boring as a result (for me).

Mind you that is one of the curious things about techno - the line between "simple but effective" and "unrelenting tedium" can be quite narrow, and entirely dictated by personal taste!

Anyway I much prefer "Temporal Distort", a great example of that time when techno and hardcore had not fully split - the groovy bassline adds a nice texture to the distorted percussion.

But if I'm honest, the real reason I own this EP, is the B2 track "Too Late" - played on 45, it becomes a wonderful slice of 92 style breakbeat hardcore, with a lovely touch of naive melancholy. Judging by the other comments I'm very much in the minority here - I doubt even Dave Clarke would approve of it being pitched up that much! But if I'm honest that makes me like it more...

Temporal Distort manages to combine basic hard beats with a marvellous groovy interlude rising tension just to let the crowd drop back to a basic beat without any boring rataplan or common bridge - just a drop. Big Bang is a massive industrial hardcore banger - B-side total opposite: vocals, slow breakbeat, melody. Difficult? not at all, but on a grand scale

Difficult doesn't even cover it. This out of control hyperactive attention deficient spawn of Satan is completely and utterly off the hook. Speaker stacks need to be strapped down to stop them vibrating off into next week when the Big Bang arrives. It is a monumental achievement in Industrial mayhem. Earth simply moves when the bass starts up and continues to relentlessly abuse the unprepared innocents caught in the path of it's destruction. The rest of the record simply ceases to matter.

Handle with care.

The AA side tracks "Fear" etc are absolutely dire whingy downtempo breakbeat affairs with moronic vocals over the top, but the two a-side tracks are absolutely unbelievable - distorted pounding 150 bpm + techno. Highly reminiscent of Outcast clan / total output free party scene tunes. You can stop the party but you can't stop the future! (Unless you're John Major...)