He doesn’t often rear his head, but Alex Cortex has re-emerged from his bunker with the third offering for fledgling Croatian techno label Barba. Sticking with the label’s no-nonsense focus on analog techno and raw grooves, Multi, as the title suggests, remains a musically diverse work, with different mood strands and attributes attached—it’s a release designed to take a global, inward-looking approach to texture, sound and, ultimately, the dancefloor.

“Spike Train”—a physiological term used to describe sudden patterns in brain function—starts with light pad touches and a tribalesque atmosphere; driving, metronomic ticks add to its hypnotic attributes before an electroboogie break, pressurized and compressed into raw blasts and bursts, punctures the surface. In contrast, “Time Texture” couldn’t be further away from the aesthetic of “Spike Train,” as changing time signatures, shape shifting rhythms and roughly-cut, analog effects bounce and pop across all channels. Perseus Traxx is enlisted to give the track more groove and pace, stripping back the elements and fusing a big, rubberized bassline around a hollowed, clanking industrial drum break. The sum of its parts collectively amount to an acidic, hi-NRG techno track, the attack levels turned to maximum with chanting vocals adding to its otherwordly backdrop.

Finally, Cortex has hauled in Florian Kupfer for a remix of “Spike Train,” the version focusing on the percussive elements of the track; grinding synth keys and fractioned hi-hats add to its rhythmic intensity. With Mult Alex Cortex has supplied some superb, rawly-cut electro and techno, tailored for the late-night freaks without apology.