Omar Santana

Vocoder-dissonance and noise-based turntablism is how Omar Santana's Hardcore for the Headstrong opens up. From there the music moves into a series of high bpm hand claps and a very minimalist techno style, comparable to a sort of schizophrenic Kraftwerk without any feeling, electronic or otherwise. The techniques on this recording have been used a million times, from its overly used samples right through to its hokey, oft-used Roland 303. With Omar Santana's Hardcore for the Headstrong, the beats are generic, the sound quality is dismal, the multi-dimensionality of this recording is laughable. The only redeeming quality of this recording seems to be Omar Santana's ability to mix records; he's an excellent DJ, but the choice of records mixed and overall quality of the recording is not very good. If you enjoy really fast, high-energy, hardcore techno, then you'll enjoy this. If you like your techo a little more creative along the lines of Detroit-style or ambient techno, this is definitely not the recording for you. ~ Matt Borghi, Rovi