Sistema returns for another solid slab of wax on the Spanish tech-house label Factory City, unconsciously channeling the legendary Skam label by producing an A-side that works just as well at 33 as it does on 45, although I imagine the latter is the correct speed. That song crashes ping-ponging synths against one another, allowing them to coalesce into a heady climax of arpeggiated bliss. B-side “Darkness” features Rafid Noy on vocals and treads in the same sort of tension-building effects of its predecessor. These two tracks and the moody finale, “Moebius” all point towards the semi-undefinable Factor City sound, which seems to be a mix of the best portions of Italo and trance, cutting the unfortunate excesses of both to reveal an original sound all their own.

Factor City / 014
[Todd Burns]