Released way back in 2009 on Warsaw based Soleil Records when people my age were just starting to break-through into the mainstream from dubstep circles, this melodic techno album deserves more then just a mere shining of a spot light towards it.

Living in Wuppertal, Germany, Akin Khan cites influence from the likes of Jeff Mills’ Waveform Transmission Vol. I, Robert Hood’s Minimal Nation, Kenny Larkin’ Metaphor and Laurent Garnier’s Shot in the Dark. He’s also a fan of soul and jazz music. In his own words

Techno made me a music lover, but I was not limited to one style.

This comes across distinctly in the variation and content of his album, which is constantly engaging the listener through its peaks and troughs.

Technically Akin Khan is gifted with impressive amounts of attention to detail on the various tracks, which seem to explore a sound orbiting somewhere round Michael Golding’s and Steve Rutter’s B12 project and their highly regarded archive album Volume 1.

Take the track Chamber Skills for example; from the start you are taken on a futuristic voyage of downbeat techno, Synths gliding in and out of heavily drenched atmospheres. It’s a never-ending journey spiralling further and further into space.

Meridian‘s opener, bizarrely called The Interlude is where Akin Khan’s musical expertise really becomes obvious to the listener. Intricate melodies are woven around a sturdy techno beat with a clear nod to the past. I would expect some sort of sci-fi reference to the future to be thrown into the cauldron as well.

His album carries weight not just because of its beautiful content but also due to the defiance of the producer to not just jump on the latest bandwagon and “deliver the goods” which is testament to the quality and overall attitude behind his productions.

Akin Khan – Meridian
Grab

Akin Khan – The Interlude (Edit I)
Akin Khan – Oblate
Akin Khan – Memorie Plant
Akin Khan – Floudt
Akin Khan – Strong Unit
Akin Khan – Chamber Skills
Akin Khan – Anoude
Akin Khan – Supravisor
Akin Khan – The Broken Shield
Akin Khan – Tapeout
Akin Khan – Back to Physics
Akin Khan – re-emergence
Akin Khan – Encounter
Akin Khan – Trilogy II
SOL 018