In the last 100 days before 2020, I'll be
counting down by doing a retrospective of some of the classic releases/EPs of
this decade, and maybe a few lesser known gems. Expect broken beats, some
leftfield electronics and the odd cheesy banger :)
(2018, Holding Hands)
As much as my little (long) New
Years' countdown is about revisiting classic releases and legacy names, it's also
a great opportunity to cover some of the artists and labels that have a bright
future. Exhibit A: ascendant label Holding Hands, which is just about one of
the most likeable things in UK dance music right now. Many of its best releases
to date have married elaborate beatmaking with a gloriously no-frills attitude,
in turn creating takes on electro, house and bass music that are technically
impressive but unpretentious and genuinely fun. A shining example is ‘Rory’s
Theme/Puffer Jackets’ from Breaka, a record that any contemporary UK DJ could
do with having in their collection (though by all accounts, most of them do –
this EP isn’t easy to acquire on Discogs without forking out a fair bit of
money).
‘Rory’s Theme’ made the biggest waves
last year, having appeared on an excellent Call Super boiler room (love you
Call Super). Its footwork and bass influences aren’t entirely without
precedent, calling to mind early-2010s Pearson Sound in particular – but the
execution is killer. Its drum programming has the kind of intricacy that adds
to the song’s dancefloor readiness, rather than detracting from it - and all
the while, 16th synths provide a dizzying build up to that show stopping bass.
‘Puffer Jackets’ revolves around a
sub-heavy beat that sits somewhere between garage and electro. It's not hard to
imagine how weighty it'd feel on a proper sound system, though it has added
levity and leftfield appeal in the form of a quirky vocal sample, reworked to
rhythmic effect. Rounding off the EP is a remix of 'Puffer Jackets' from the
Holding Hands boss himself, Desert Sound Colony. Following the more lairy first
two tracks, it’s a slight change of pace, but nicely combines hard snares with
a dubbed out take on the vocals. The phrase ‘dancefloor weapon’ gets thrown around
pretty loosely these days, but in the case of the songs here, it’s an
understatement.
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