Artist: Isomer Transition
Title: Mission to Mars
Catalog Number: mgt.010
Type: Digital
Format: 160 kbps MP3
Duration: 28 minutes

Following up his debut on the UK’s enigmatic imprint Future Days, Isomer Transition redefines his sound and sets off on his own course with the digital futurist EP “Mission to Mars.” Mission to Mars is four tracks of thematic, expertly crafted minimal techno from electronic music producer RJ Valeo, who made a name for himself with several releases on Type Records and Neo Ouija.

The mission begins with the stealthy and sleek “Loop Me Through to Control the Mains.” A calculated blooping bassline and a periodic warm drone crescendo are spliced with a low, gravely voice that states “I see you over there.” Eerie. On “Deep in Space” Sawtooth synth canon blasts are paired with a rolling, clacking beat and bass that sounds like bits of space debris colliding violently. The mission continues with “Space Madness.” The combination of enigmatic rhythmic synths, seemingly random bass bloops and warbly synth stabs might beg one to ask the question “Am I going crazy?”

This is the soundtrack to being alone in the vastness of space. The destination is reached with “The Exploration of Region 13.” A bubbly, clicking beat, haunting drones and a shimmering lead synth teeming with life send the EP back into orbit on a high note. All four tracks are infinitely danceable, and the thematic element adds a unique twist to the minimal techno genre – encouraging individual interpretations of the material.

Purchase this release on Beatport as WAVs or as 320 kbps mp3 - CLICK HERE

With the preceding decade’s technology explosion, particularly in the arena of home computing, it has become easier than ever to compose and record music. Unfortunately, as most of us know, it has as a result also become harder than ever to find really good stuff in the sea of song that is being created. Social networking sites like Myspace alone are a labyrinth of sub-par and half-baked ideas, but that didn’t stop electronic label Moodgadget Records from embarking on the daunting task of weeding through the Myspace dumpster in search of a genuine soundmaker. Luckily for all of us the hunt paid off in the form of a talented Brooklynite composer.

Isomer Transition, whose real name is RJ Valeo, has composed four songs in a blend of techno and house styles for the Moodgadget EP Mission to Mars. Some of the beats crafted - although typically techno in their bass-snare 1-2-1-2 pattern and middling tempos - are the overall primary hot draw here. “Loop Me Through to Control the Mains” and “Deep in Space” each start out simply, with thumping drum programming lathered on thick enough to warm up anybody harboring any frigid suspicions as to whether or not Valeo is of ‘real deal’ caliber. Rest assured, frosties - Isomer Transition is legit.

The beat construction on this painfully short joint is most easily likened to that of Matthew Dear’s Audion: dirty, danceable, and constantly building. With each new set of 8 bars, Isomer Transition throws in subtle new sounds like crisp offbeat hi-hats, further subdivided bass drum rhythms, and all sorts of sonic touches (hand claps, ambient curtains, quickly tapped clicks & clacks). In all four roughly six-minute tracks there are no down (read: shitty) moments and the only disappointments with Mission to Mars is it’s aforementioned brevity. One can only look forward to bigger developments from this artist and more gem-like finds from his determined parent label.

Reviewed by Josh Zanger
Joshua Ian Zanger, a native of rural Chicago, rocks many a world with his writing, style, and generally sweet aroma.

link to review

Isomer Transition: Mission to Mars
Moodgadget

Can machine funk be simultaneously cold and warm? The four minimal techno tracks on the Mission to Mars EP, Isomer Transition’s (RJ Valeo) follow-up to last year’s Future Days release Shadowland, certainly suggest as much: the songs’ shiny surfaces may be as cold as deep space, but their earthy dance quality bespeaks bodily warmth too. The sleek textures and punctuating starburst blasts of “Deep in Space” place it in a dance club at some distant docking station but the irrepressible funk of its skipping stomp and bass rumble reveals an all-too-human physicality at its core. “Space Madness” batters rubbery percolations and snappy beats with meteor showers of warped synth lines, while “The Exploration of Region 13” guides a swinging disco groove and slithering bass line through silken stratospheres. Merge the drum machines and synth acid of Plastikman with the pristine elegance of Kraftwerk and the result might sound something like Isomer Transition.

September 2007

Link to textura.org review.

Next is a great Techno EP sent from Moodgadget Records. The Mission To Mars EP by Isomer Transition contains four quality deep Techno tracks. “Space Maddness” is the standout with a sound really reminiscent of “Baby Kate” by Heartthrob. Check it.

Isomer Transition - Space Maddness // Moodgadget Released August 18th.

Last but by no means least is a brand new track from ill-ec-tro-nic favourites Modeselektor. These guys can do no wrong at the moment…

Link to review here.

Artist and Release Info:
Brooklyn based RJ Valeo returns to Moodgadget with a full EP after releasing an upbeat stormer, “When Systems Work Right”, on Moodgadget’s Modeone compilation. This follow-up release explores a sexy and deep minimal ethos full of heady melodies and percussion to top off the record’s thick and dark sound.

The EP begins with “Loop Me Through To Control The Mains” – which comes out deep and pounding with a hypnotic bassline and a vocal that will leave you feeling stinky and dirty.“Deep In Space” and “The Exploration Of Region 13” both continue the listener’s journey into Valeo’s hypnotic universe, this time it’s the low end that grabs you and has you mesmerized. Finally, we get to the dance floor classic-in-making “Space Madness”, showing classical techno influences, and promises to grab the crowd with a synth melody that’s unmistakable as it’s mixed in. As with all Isomer Transition releases the sci-fi influence is palpable — you can taste the air in your re-breather as you listen to the cuts. This EP build on the sci-fi ideas and philosophies debuted in last year’s dark and dirty “Shadowlands EP” (featured on RadioOne’s Breezeblock).

This EP builds on the established philosophies debuted in last year’s dark and grimy “Shadowlands EP” (featured on RadioOne’s Breezeblock).

Track Listing:
A1. Loop Me Through To Control The Mains
A2. Deep In Space
B1. Space Madness
B2. The Exploration Of Region 13

Release Info:Released on: AUGUST 18TH, 2007
Available at: iTunes, Beatport, Napster, eMusic, Sony Connect, and anywhere else you buy MP3

Written and Produced by: RJ Valeo
Artwork by: Philistine DSGNDJ
Support by:RYAN ELLIOTT, PAR GRINDVIK, DAVE TUROV