VA - Dots And Pearls 8 (2024)

The eighth instalment of Cocoon's Dots And Pearls compilation series starts on a light note. JOSS' "Assessing" is a melodic techno track powered by cascading snares and swirling pads. In a similar style is Emanuel Satie's "When I First Met You (I Knew You Were The One)", where angelic voices and soaring strings make for an uplifting track. There's an edgier sensibility on Denis Horvat & Skarn's chugging "Triii", reflected also on Aocram & Ramsey Neville's acid-led "Brooklyn Structure".
The mood continues to darken with the EBM influences of Alex Bau's grinding "Antidot", while the ever-reliable Redshape resurfaces with the pulsating "Ghost Story". But it's only a temporary situation and Harald Bjork's "Aluco" rounds off the release with an ominous tranced-out track.