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With an undisputed love of all things vinyl and a strict underground ethos, it's little wonder Highgrade have earned a reputation as one of Berlin's most significant techno labels. Oh, and the music's not too shabby either. As if to prove the point, their latest release comes from the label head honcho himself, Mr. Tom Clark.

His first release of note for some time, the Pressure Points LP sees the influential Berliner build on the recent success of his much-heralded Mikado project, Highgrade's collaboration with Dan Ghenacia's Freak n' Chic imprint.

The ethereal sounding 'Passion' kicks off proceedings with a warm, daunting analogue baseline acting as the catalyst for an often melodic, yet eerie LP. Tracks such as 'The Rock' and 'Pressure Points' continue in a similar manner, with Clark's sound deviating little between the two. The title track is a real standout however, with a groovy, menacing baseline brilliantly complemented by a dark vibe courtesy of a barrage of repeated shakers and filters.

The electronica rumblings of both Interlude 1 and 2 do little more than prompt a slight change in sound, with 1 in particular acting as a fitting bridge between the minimal house workings of the opening three tracks, and the more compelling full on techno which signals the standout moments of the second half of the album.

Both 'Hitch A Ride' and 'Keep Your Fancy Free' make use of a spooky male vocal, with the latter showcasing Clark's madcap, experimental side via a wonky, manic baseline.

'All I Can See' on the other hand, represents Clark's attempt at Hot Chip-esque electronica. Unfortunately however, it's an experiment that ultimately garners disappointing results, with feeble vocal offering little.

Fortunately it's a brief error, as Clark soon returns to what he's best at via 'Snake Charmer'. Packing tons of attitude and interwoven with another enigmatic, string led baseline, its deep, trippy overtone rivals 'Pressure Points' as the albums standout moment. 'Dream Within A Dream' features a funky baseline which emphasizes the producer's penchant for disco sounds, before 'Secrets in my Pocket' and the laid back vibes of 'Floating Cells' concludes an intriguing array of contrasting sounds. That said, it's on tracks such as 'Pressure Points' and 'Snake Charmer' where Clark really excels, a fact sure to appease fans of his traditional, stripped back techno sound. On the whole however, it's a finely sculpted LP, featuring examples of a wide array of dance music sounds, with everything from minimal house to techno to pure electronica being represented in what is a very diverse package. Despite some of his more experimental ventures not quite hitting the more techno focused tracks, Pressure Points is nonetheless, a mostly absorbing listen from start to finish.

Artist: Tom Clark Title: Pressure Points Label: Highgrade Records Tracklist 01. Passion 02. The Rock feat. Florian Schirmacher 03. Pressure Points 04. Interlude 1 05. Hitch a Ride 06. Keep Your Fancy Free 07. All I Can See feat. Florian Schirmacher 08. Snake Charmer 09. Interlude 2 10. Dream Within a Dream feat. Florian Schirmacher 11. Secrets in My Pocket 12. Floating Cells www.highgrade-records.de www.myspace.com/tomclarkhighgrade Our Rating: 7,5/10