Systematic’s Marc Romboy debuts on the ever-excellent Bedrock with two forward-thinking melodic techno cuts.

‘Counting Comets: Part 1’ clocks in at nearly 11 minutes, but keeps the listener hooked with constantly evolving, playful yet nervous melody lines. The track takes a while to hit its stride, with the percussion really starting to swing around two and half minutes in, and the menacing bass part joining in about a minute later. The breakdown lets softer pads carry the main melodic theme, building plenty of atmosphere as the main hook gradually reclaims centre stage, while the drop sees Marc Romboy letting the bass go full throttle, before the track settles into a surprisingly calm and moving finale.

Those who prefer those sweeter melodies will find more on ‘Osiris’ on the flipside. Its initial bleepy dynamics and hard-hitting percussion are soon accompanied by heavy bass tones and powerful pads, and the track’s melodic core is gradually revealed as the bass starts to play out a warmer chord sequence, complemented by gorgeous sweeps and metallic riffs. Marc Romboy’s trippy central hook soon comes to the fore, before being cleverly deconstructed during the breakdown. The track’s perhaps not quite as distinctive as ‘Counting Comets’, but it’s packed with strong, well-executed ideas nonetheless.

Marc Romboy serves up two really compelling tracks here, which seem to have huge potential for interesting remixes too – I hope Bedrock taps into that potential on a future release.