- Is there anything more overused than a vocoder? And is there anything more spine-tingling, when used judiciously? Amsterdam's William Kuoam Djoko gets it right on "We Are Your Brothers & Sisters," a wriggly, rippling stepper featuring the year's ear-wormiest vocal. It might not technically be a vocoder that he's using, but whatever it is, it renders the voice into a fine, metallic mist, which hovers around the unprocessed vocal like a halo. The processing accentuates the track's ambiguous mood, throwing an eerie sheen over its trim drum groove, creepy and calming all at once. Is this another iteration of house music's principles of universal brotherhood? Or is it the siren song of conquering cyborgs? (Should you not care about such questions, there's also a mostly instrumental dub version.)
Compared to the simplicity of "Brothers & Sisters," "Enforce" is something else entirely, borrowing its arpeggios from Steve Reich and its dark, cyber-sensuality from Oni Ayhun. It's softer than Ayhun's work, though, with rounded edges and a rubbery low-end instead of crystal facets and live wires. Supple and suspenseful, it comes on like storm clouds and hovers menacingly.
Tracklist A Enforce YS
B1 We Are Your Brothers & Sisters (Main Mix)
B2 We Are Your Brothers & Sisters (Dub Mix)