Ritzi Lee, aka Steve Liem’s first LP, ‘Momentum’ is a fourteen-track movement through the various sounds the Dutch performer has explored in his twenty-plus years of output and marks his return to one of Ben Sims’ imprints, having first released on the UK techno don’s now-defunct Theory Recordings in the mid-2000s.
Stream the single ‘Impact’ https://fanlink.to/SYMDIGILP003
Opening up with the intoxicating synth flair of ‘Free Fall’, ‘Momentum’ quickly pivots into the punchy saturated drums and acerbic synths of ‘Impact’, setting up the dynamic tonality of the LP right from the off. While the subtle, creeping grooves of ‘Balance’, ’S-Waves’ and ‘Principle of Least Action’ display Liem’s deft restraint, cuts like ‘Path of Resistance’, ‘Friction’ and ‘Frame of Reference’ show a joyfully direct approach to building tension. Elsewhere, tracks like the bleep-driven ‘Stationary’, the noisily agro ‘Pointwise Iteration’ and cascading melodic distortion of ‘Inertia System’ provide an abundance of colour and charm.
“There’s a fine line between all the music I ever released”, Ritzi Lee explains. “A tension building up, using different layers before reaching a climax –just as with my DJ sets, it’s something of a trademark sound. I don’t want to follow a formula or do what everyone else does. I try to follow my path without getting distracted by hypes or trends in the music.”
As a party-goer in the halcyon days of Amsterdam clubbing in the 90s and someone who witnessed legendary clubs like RoXY and iT in full swing, Ritzi Lee’s love of techno is rooted in its origins. After winning a DJ competition in the revered Bassic Groove (RIP) magazine, Liem’s energy for the dancefloor quickly became fuel for others dancing via 90s gigs at Dance Valley and FFWD Dance Parade. Graduating to more prominent festivals and the Dutch club scene while kicking off his own Underground Liberation label in 2004, Liem’s production output quickly won him fans in the likes of Jeff Mills, Ben Sims and Dave Clarke – a list that has now grown to include the likes of Rodhad, Marcel Dettmann, Luke Slater as well as a new generation of techno DJs who view Ritzi Lee’s recent series for Mord with as much admiration as they do his anthems like ‘Reverse Processed’.
Ritzi Lee’s ‘Momentum’ LP releases via Symbolism on 24th March.
Momentum LP announcement party: Prism x Symbolism @ Input, Barcelona on 10th Feb with Ben Sims, Ritzi Lee and Anika Kunst
Tracklist:
01 Free Fall
02 Impact
03 Balance
04 Stationary
05 Principle of Least Action
06 Path of Resistance
07 Friction
08 Pointwise Iteration
09 Accelerate
10 S-Waves
11 Inertia System
12 P-Waves
13 Frame of Reference
14 Continuity