Microthol are easily the most exciting project to emerge from the Austrian electronic music scene within recent times. Having secretly honed their skills for years, Philipp "Soulglo" Haffner and Constantin Zeileissen stepped into the limelight in 2003 with their debut release, a collaboration with DJ Glow (Wireheads), followed by their solo-effort Staub. Recent releases for Electric Indigo's indigo:inc, Pomelo, Keith Tuckers (aka K-1) imprint Puzzlebox and Trust further emphasize the duo's production abilities, stretching far beyond the narrow confines of traditional electro. Their live acts regularly energize the Viennese party crowd and as DJs they're a force to reckon with. Having been holed up behind their ever-growing collection of vintage analogue gear for the better part of 2005, the two have finally put the finishing touches to their debut album Microkosmos. Doing the title justice, Microthol draw inspiration from a wealth of diverse styles - Electro, Acid House, Italo Disco or experimental Downbeat but fuse them in a fashion unique to them, usually employing a twitchy 303, catchy harmonies and the fat analogue production.After three years spent in their clandestine research facility, Vienna's prime electro scientists once again emerge: Binary Systems is the title of their lastest transmission, a five track mini-album released in June on Trust. Binary Systems sonic spectrum ranges from classic, hard-hitting techno bass to Sähko-esque sine-wave assaults and fragile Detroit-style electro.
