Maybe so, they may have seen the explosion of slower sounds and decided to do their own version, but keeping it more Techno sounding. That Quartz No1 track Numeric posted is superb. I'd definitely enjoy that on a dancefloor, and yeah it does sound darker for being slower. It seems like you two are the most informed on this type of sound, so can you post up a few youtube links between you for recommended listening? I already know things like this:
YouTube - Len Faki - My Black Sheep (Marcel Dettmann Mix)
...which I really like, tho it could perhaps do with a bit more development during the tune. (Saying that, a lot of the Shufflemaster stuff was basically a loop but it was well done, so it pulled it's own weight).
So yeah, any tracks you or Numeric can suggest would be welcome!