Bleep

Since being discovered by Canada-based electronic label Suction Records in 2015, Erik Jong has been incredibly generous with his output. Jong fervently recorded a wealth of tapes containing his own brand of Rephlex-inspired techno and electronica from 1997 to 1999, all recorded in his bedroom and locked in his attic for safekeeping. Two decades later, this feverish creative period would finally see the light of day with five EPs and four albums of purely archival work under the name RX-101. Continuing this legacy, Jong presents his first release since 2020, a set of as yet unheard material that takes us to a completely new dimension in his mysterious discography.

On New Discoveries, RX-101 turns to the motor city for an album inspired by Detroit techno. With influences including as Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Carl Craig, these tracks find a new focus on steady beats and bustling rhythms suited for the dancefloor, combined with the dreamy chords and symphonic synths that can be found in RX-101’s more electronica-focussed material. ‘Back To Zero’ opens with a perfect balance of these two spheres, merging spacey strings with the classic beat of Detroit techno staple drum machines, and the soft distortion of subtly acidic Roland TB-303 basslines. ‘Voyage of Discovery’ meanwhile taps into science-fiction themes, vibraphone-like synths slipping and sliding across frozen expanses, with long reverb tails evoking journeys into the deep reaches of outer space.

With a vast sea of unreleased music still finding its way to the light of day, RX-101 provides a tight selection of explorative techno cuts from the depths of his creative vaults.