- Though he continues to prosper, many of DJ Sneak's contemporaries have fallen by the wayside. Families, jobs, mental illness; even if they hadn't been tripped up by these things, it's unlikely Carlos Sosa's second-wave peers would be able to match his intensity: seven singles and an album last year. Not bad for a man who's been in the game more than 20 years. His latest 12-inch, the vaguely misogynistic Necessary Evils, presents four frenetic, loopy house cuts, very much in line with the rest of Sneak's catalogue.
Structured around the clatter of woody snares and a famous—or famous sounding—disco riff, "Evil Wemen" is seven minutes of locomotion. Even its breakdown merely involves the kicks being restrained for a few dozen bars. Filters play a crucial role in managing this non-stop thrusting, easing us through peaks and troughs, the riff making for some ecstatic highs. "Nobody Better" is similarly reliant on sound shaping, its brisk guitar loop and croaking bassline unable to maintain interest alone, though the track's slightly overdriven kicks are a nice touch.
"Assault on You" is marginally more varied, bridging between thick, twanging synth passages with blasts of rave horn, guitar vamps and Green Velvet vocal grabs. It all feels a bit carnival-like; chaotic and confusing, where it might have been effective. "Beat Some Sense Into You" goes the other way, stripping things right down to a potentially hypnotic level with a rapid, four-note motif. But the chance gets passed over, bombastic diva wails taking the stage instead.
Tracklist A1 Evil Wemen
A2 Nobody Better
B1 Assault On You (Poundin Mix)
B2 Beat Some Sense Into You (Poundin Mix)