Robert Babicz’s productions and remixes spanning the past decade have made increasingly impressive ripples in the gigantic pond known as German techno – moreso, I am inclined to believe, than his work in the days of ‘true’ acid house. I am unable to accurately estimate the number of times that I have played out Joris Voorn’s remix of Babicz’s “Dark Flower” (quite the lovely track in its own right), and Babicz’s Disco Universum remix of Gui Boratto’s Mr. Decay is another personal favorite of mine.

That having been said, “Pink Trees” took a bit longer for me to appreciate. Its deeper, darker underbelly slowly churns beneath a likewise brooding tempo; as such, its eight-and-a-half minute duration is necessary for the full melody to realize itself. The synthesizers are the only part of the track that notably evolve into deeper and sexy techno; I imagine this singular quality makes the track a most essential addition to the earliest parts of any contemporary set. Grinding along at a modest rate with a likewise modest melody, “Pink Trees” appears to have been produced with the intention of precluding tracks that hit harder without sacrificing the musical integrity upon which Babicz has built his reputation.

“Percofonik,” the EP’s second track, is an astonishingly fresh tune with unrelenting bass and tantalizing brushes with tribal percussion. It deftly skims the opposing side of ‘German techno’ and comes as a true surprise on this release given the nature of the first track. Babicz’s second production makes use of the same type of gnarled and rousing bass that propels “Pink Trees” through its Herculean eight plus minutes of playtime; its density and wavelength, however, are substantially increased. This suggests to me that “Percofonik” may well fit more aptly amongst tracks with higher octane than contemplative techno tracks usually incorporate. In my mind, “Percofonik” is a fitting – if somewhat eclectic and funky – complement to its partner production, and whose constituent attributes promote its inclusion amongst styles ranging from deep house to tech house and beyond.