A new batch of off-kilter techno from the on point folks over at Germany’s RASTER-NOTON (who have put out piles of amazing records, recently by the likes of BYETONE and VLADISLAV DELAY, over their almost two decades of existence). This time it is KANGDING RAY‘s turn to add to their deep deep catalog of minimal electronic music experiments. RAY’s David Letellier, a former French rock musician now living in Berlin, released his 4th record for RASTER-NOTON just a few weeks back. A dark, and distortion laden 12 tracks, his new album SOLENS ARC is part celestial drone, part industrial thud all experienced through the skewed, gazing past the dancefloor KANGDING RAY techno filter. Letellier’s first album in 3 years, SOLENS ARC is a double LP set presented in a 4 arc form. “Serendipity March” is the first track from the new album and it is intoxicating. Brooding, broken up synthesizer lurks in the shadows of the track from the very beginning, emerging from a cosmic synthesizer invitation. The insistent, through constantly evolving, rhythm track moves along its track never ceasing, but veering from time to time to make room for heavily affected vocals and all manner of synthesizer product. Hushed sounds of the human voice, and the strange (but very fitting) aforementioned vocals pair at times with an introduced clang and woosh that lend the middle section of the track an industrial music feel. The dark throb and unease of “Serendipity March”‘s first 4+ minutes gives way to a complete groove switch-up and a beautiful circular chiming keyboard line over its last minute. And it’s a good way to go out as it has to be my favorite part of the track. Dense at times, experimental techno, coming from one of the genre’s original homes. KANGDING RAY makes roiling, contemplative techno (that doesn’t take itself toooo seriously, despite the emotional depths which it plumbs).