Iconic producer and DJ Mark Broom arrived on Rekids for a rare occurrence indeed; an expansive and totally incendiary double album of dancefloor treats. Billed as a comprehensive insight into the many styles of Broom, Fünfzig takes a near-diaristic stroll through the legend’s multivalent interests, from the whirling techno of ‘EFX’ to the spaced-out decay of ‘Dub Me Good’, and beyond into disco leaning cuts like ‘We Gonna Dance’.

UK techno artist Mark Broom offers up the Fast Fünfzig EP (meaning “almost fifty” in English) for Radio Slave’s Rekids imprint. With a back catalogue scaling the dizzy heights of Warp and Rober Hood’s M-Plant, Broom brings four classy renditions of refined techno weaving in and out of electro and braindance influences. The raucous flair of ‘Wild Style’ may be the highlight, with chunky electro frameworks and a rowdy bassline.

Deadhand is James Ruskin and Mark Broom of The Fear Ratio, combining forces for their debut release with the help of Scratch Perverts’ DJ Prime Cuts and illbient legend Sensational, plus a remix from UK upstart Etch. Meanwhile is quite a departure from the styles Ruskin and Broom are known for, offering up tuff & wonky hip hop in the style of vintage Dabrye or Prefuse73. The production chops of their techno heritage shines through in the sheer impact of their beats and the monochrome soundscapes. Ten tracks including its remixes make for a versatile dancefloor record or headphone head nodder.

Back in 2018 The Fear Ratio – the duo of producers James Ruskin and Mark Broom - broke a several-year silence with the release of an eponymous live EP. Fast forward to 2020 and we find the pair back in their old stomping ground of Skam Records with a new LP entitled They Can't Be Saved.

In many ways They Can't Be Saved is a signature set from The Fear Ratio. This is a record of quietly-experimental electronic music, its tracks operating largely in a space between Warp acts like Plaid and the squelching IDM of, say, Analord-era Aphex Twin. Opening track ‘Sender’ ushers us into a world of ethereal harmonies and gently-pattering programmed drums, setting the tone for the album’s pretty first third.

However, things change as we enter They Can't Be Saved’s midsection. Here we find some of the album's most technoid cuts - tracks like ‘Small World’ and ‘The Invisible Girl’ feature fidgeting beats that will have you looking over your shoulder more than once. We are also introduced to some Craven Faults-esque hauntology on ‘The Curse’. The rest of They Can't Be Saved is caught between those beautiful opening tracks and the more paranoid numbers that follow - see the disintegrating beauty of closer ‘A406’, for instance.

James Ruskin and Mark Broom have delivered They Can't Be Saved, the latest full-length from their IDM-adjacent project The Fear Ratio.