- Is it safe to leave the debate about '90s house revivalism alone? Splendid, because when it comes to Citizen, what's good enough for Kerri Chandler—who bagged him for a MadTech EP last year—is surely good enough for rest of us.
Laurence Blake may now be London-based, but his Nottingham hometown was a city of quality house music throughout the '90s (when Blake grew up) due to the influence of people like Charles Webster and the legendary DiY Sound System. It's relevant as Citizen instills much of the Trax EP, his second excursion for Love Fever, with a similar formula of raw 4/4 and uplifting melodies as his Nottingham forebears.
That said, "Everything" is perhaps Citizen's darkest offering to date, its crunchy snares, clanking cowbells and springy bass underlined by a brooding soundbed. The clouds part and the sun floods in on "Worship & Tribute (Your Love)", which wears its influences proudly on its sleeve; expertly-hewn gospel-ish vocal samples do battle, with a hammering Korg piano riff exploding across them. Finally, "Glastique" is a loved-up, end of the night anthem, which connects a barreling live bass riff to a misty-eyed, two-note synth line, exultant vocals and hi-hats of diamond-cut precision.
TracklistA1 Everything
A2 Worship & Tribute (Your Love)
AA Glastique