NØNE comprises two Italian producers who came up through the illegal rave scene of the late nineties and have kept their names out of it ever since. XX 29 is their fourth entry in the XX series, following XX 18 in August 2024, XX 23 the following February, and XX 26 this January, which makes them one of the more prolific contributors to it.

Molecular Recordings has been going since 1994 and passed its thirtieth anniversary two years back with the Structure Series vinyl collection. DJ Bone, Chris Liebing, Linear System and Decoder all sit in a catalogue now approaching sixty releases.

The EP opens with the panic alarm sound of XX 29 A1. This soon blooms into a hypnotic, dark production that puts its emphasis on maintaining the bottom end. Stentorian kicks lay the foundation for an oscillating bass, sitting underneath a swarm of hornet-like synthetic stabs.

Discordant keys segue us into the next track, which is a silken transition despite the two tracks’ isolation from one another. The momentum continues into A2, which features a lovely little breakdown at the mid-point, whipping us right back into the drop with sharp echoing claps.

B1 drives the energy up even further, if that was even possible, with a maelstrom of elements clamouring for your attention. Focus on that top end beep while the other sounds pan and swirl around your head. Mesmerising techno!

NØNE bring the mood down for the brooding beguilement of B2. That isn’t to say the energy dips at all as our duo delivers the haunted cosmos that their final track conjures.

All techno. All power. Grab it on Bandcamp.