Lerosa - No Mad Rush

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  • Since his debut release back in 2005 on the D1 imprint, Lerosa, an Italian native calling Ireland home, has crafted some wide-ranging releases on a number of labels. His consistently varied work has seen him explore the edges of house and acid-flecked techno and on this No Mad Rush EP for fledgling Dublin label Apartment Records, Lerosa explores those acid tendencies with interesting and entertaining results. The spacious "Combat" feels like a gentle enough introduction to proceedings. It's a dark, twisted looper that never gives in to a straight up beat, writhing around with its deep synth tones sounding cavernous in their relatively sparse surroundings. Where "Combat" clocks in at four minutes, its companion on Side A, "Titanium," extends the length to six and uses the extra time effectively. The tempo jumps up and the drums are all go from the off. You're immediately wrapped up by the swung bass while the hyperactive synth arps fill the remaining space with rich, distorted tones. The track's mid-section is a breather, losing the bass and exploring the outer reaches with distant pad sounds, before it all comes back in for a bass-driven finale. From humble beginnings, "Slavery" grows into an acid techno stomper. It's the heaviest track on show here and the crescendo is an all-guns-firing blowout, sounding completely frantic and buckets of fun at the same time. Machine music with a smile on its face. The pace slows considerably for the closing track, "Decisions." Here the heavy, club-footed bottom-end is overlaid with clean arpeggios and long notes aching in the background. The initially militant feel of the kick-snare beat gradually shifts as the synthesizer work edges ever close to a vague sense of spiritual uplift, culminating a minute from the end with the introduction of a major melodic lead line. It's a long way from euphoria but the feeling is undeniably positive, hinting broadly at the producer's more familiar house sound.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Combat A2 Titanium B1 Slavery B2 Decisions
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