Track of the Day: Troy - Algol

Among label-heads, Ben Klock is one of the most recognizable out there. Klock's love for techno is evident in the talent he brings into the fold. His label Klockworks remains a leader in releasing hard-hitting, groovy, and eerie albums. With artists like Etapp Kyle, Troy, Sterac, and Rod, Klockworks has its fair share of cutting-edge, take-no-prisoners techno. Etapp Kyle represents the groovy side of the label, while Troy and Sterac take listeners to a darker place. Troy is a techno producer born and based in Amsterdam, specifically from The Hague. Today's track of the day Algol comes from Troy's release, Klockworks 21 which came out on Febraury 19.The track jumps right into it, wasting no time with long introductions. As is typical in Troy's songs, the drums are clean and well placed. At 136bpm, Algol is definitely a fast-mover. As with the speed of the track, the progression wastes no time either. By the end of the first minute, most of the elements of the song are in their rightful place. A synthesizer with the right amount of reverb is fed in to give the song a sense of space.One of my favorite features in Troy's songs is his ability to manipulate the direction of the music. Often times before drops or new instruments, Troy will reverse the song for a bar or two, spinning the listener around in their head just before the drop. This effect keeps listeners engaged while also accentuating drops, I love it (go to 3:03 for an example). The middle of the track is easily my favorite as Troy adds a droning tension noise in the background. It gives the song the feeling of being at a train platform, the sound of the wind echoing in the background. Soon after that a hospital-style beep finds its way in the mix, giving the song an eerie touch. Troy is able to balance the groovy nature of the song while also keeping the hard-hitting and scary elements of techno present. It is a wonderful balance that is executed nicely and doesn't go unnoticed to the listener. All in all, Algol is a very well-balanced track, and is my favorite of the release (with Redshift as a close second).The rest of the release also contains a few bangers, look for Redshift and Ariamis. The release can be found below.