- There's an element of mystery to Thomas Melchior's Dysfunctional EP. It's released on Aspect Music, a boutique label run by the artist that's been totally silent for more than a decade—its last record was the 2001 Soul Capsule classic Law Of Grace. And it's credited to Melchior Communications Ltd (a new one) presents Family of Love. It's not clear who Family of Love is, if anyone, and listening to the record doesn't clear things up much: it's more vocal heavy than usual for Melchior, and his ambient flirtations are more fleshed out, but whether there's actually another artist involved is anyone's guess.
The important thing is that, much like his EP from last summer on [a:rpia:r], Dysfunctional shows the veteran producer in something close to top form. "The Call" is him playing his strong suit—blissed out, delicate house with angelic vocals—but not quite in the way we're used to: more shoegaze than afterhours, it sounds almost like a remix of Slowdive or Cocteau Twins. The same is true for the B2 track, "Soon," whose smudged ambience recalls Loveless as clearly as its title does. "Everything OK" uses the same dreamy ingredients to more familiar effect: deranged in a pretty way, Perlon-style. "The Bow" is the best club track here, with a cascading non-melody and one of Melchior's classic rippling beats.
Tracklist A1 The Call
A2 Everything Ok
B1 The Bow
B2 Soon