Truants

Recommended: SertOne – Quesadillas

Last year we wrote about The View From Above, the stunning debut EP from Portadown-born, Liverpool-based producer SertOne. He’s kicking off 2012 with a delightful release, the short but sweet “Quesadillas” EP. Inspired by and in tribute to the late J Dilla, this four-track EP is Since the young producer first came to my attention by way of “Versions”, a 13-track album of remixes and reworks (I even called his DOOM remix Dilla-esque), it’s entirely appropriate that he turn his hand to deftly introduce us to some rare Dilla beats through his own retouches.

“Introduction” drifts gently into being with its alluring samples and when the beats kick in you’re as likely to stroke your chin as nod your head. It’s brimming with an undeniable groove, but at the same it’s so ~emosh~ that it’s far from gully. In many ways it’s the most rounded and beautiful track he’s produced to date, and given how high his standards are already that’s a bold statement. “Envious (James Make Em NV)” flips Dilla’s original sample and lulls you into a state of quiet yearning with its plucked guitar and xylophone melody, before smashing you over the head with snarling stabs, MOP shouts and airhorns. Again, SertOne’s signature bleeps are present and correct so his stamp is clearly audible over Dilla’s theme, twisting this track in a manner that’s both respectful and forward thinking.

“Look” is built around a 70s prog rock sample from Gentle Giant, used by Dilla for a short vignette at the end of a track on Champion Sound, or as a production for Slum Village artist Elzhi depending on your POV – SertOne certainly hasn’t gone for the obvious samples. A short track itself, “Look” is overloaded with squelching basslines and even more airhorns, not to mention a short spoken sample from the intro to Dilla’s “Ruff Draft”, but ultimately it pays homage to the short sample that shows how Dilla knew how to dig deep. Closing out the EP is “Love In Fall”, which you probably will recognise, using as it does that recognisable snatch of beats and guitar from Slum Village’s “Fall In Love”. That said, its “Fall In Love” SertOne style – the emotion is still there but it’s surrounded by those cascading bleeps that signify a SertOne track. It swiftly winds down, and that’s the end of it. It’s such a short EP that it’s very easy to just go right back to the start and play it over again. And again.

The EP is free, but all proceeds from this release go to the J Dilla Foundation, which helps fund inner-city music programmes. It’s a worthy cause, so you’ve no reason not to donate, right?

28. January 2012 by Aidan Hanratty
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Preview: Desto – No Sleep EP

Somewhere deep in the uninhabited tundra of northern Finland, there exists a secret underground fortress where a mysterious figure channels the powers of ice crystals to craft a strain of cold, dark dance music under the moniker Desto. Okay so maybe those details are a little bit inaccurate, but there’s no doubt that Desto has been creating some of the most evocative, thematically consistent, and meticulously crafted productions in the current dance climate. He impressed us last summer with his Makowrap EP on Rwina Records, and his forthcoming No Sleep EP for the Amsterdam-based label – set for a late February or early March release – continues to dazzle with his distinct brand of heavy, club oriented music.

“No Sleep” opens with an eerie, breathy melody that sounds like a lost take from the X-Files soundtrack, setting a suspenseful tone that’s complemented by soaring string flourishes. Desto employs a deep 808 kick and a reverb-drenched clap for the brunt of the track’s rhythmic work in a bold and beautifully understated fashion. The real star here, though, is the undulating, tightly-coiled bass line that ventures up from the abyss to wreak havoc on your whole body, leaving you feeling seasick and wobbly in the knees – in the best way possible. Stationed in a similarly cold extraterrestrial landscape, “Shadow Sole” is a richer production than “No Sleep,” largely due to a menacing synth pad that imbues the track with a subtle yet inescapable sense of paranoia. Once again Desto shows off an enviable rhythmic restraint, fleshing out a halfstepping kick pattern with the kind of snappy, stuttering snares characteristic of the Lex Luger school of production.

On “Monsters About,” Desto takes things in a more straightforward direction that reveals a pronounced Grime influence. Dizzying, detuned synth tones and short white noise sweeps open the track in a way that hints at the dark territory ahead but deceptively holds back the full truth. The “monsters” appear as a slinky, cold-blooded melody and an impossibly heavy kick drum that punches you in the chest as you try to gasp for air, and the result of their tag team effort is one of the most potent and devastating dancefloor affairs you’re likely to hear in the coming months. Rounding off the EP in style is the somewhat lighter and less aggressive “Can’t Take It.” Desto flexes some impressive filter work during the intro, building up the tension before giving way to a bouncy, half-time rhythm that’s peppered with lightweight hi-hat patterns and refined juke accents. The combination of the silky, gliding synth lead and mellow atmospherics give the track an alluring sheen that demands repeat listens, while the underlying bed of bubbling sci-fi bleeps and blips keep intact the gritty edge that we love so much about Desto’s production. This EP is already getting early support from big names like Mala, Ben UFO, Oneman, and Teeth, so you know it’s going to be big when it comes out late next month.

Desto – No Sleep EP [RWINA017] by rwina_records

Desto – No Sleep (Rwina Records) is out in late February/early March

27. January 2012 by Sam Billetdeaux
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