- "Centre-ground house/techno" is the phrase that Loefah used to describe the music policy of his new label when it launched last year. It's difficult to see why we need another imprint peddling techy house of UK origin. But peddle it School Records did, releasing a single from UK house pin-ups Dusky, Calling Me, which turned out to be a satisfying example of the form.
The follow-up comes from young Mancunian Paleman, a producer whose output to date—for Fulcrum and in collaboration with Zed Bias for Swamp 81—exhibits a similar seamless efficiency. Listening to the slickly produced percussive rollers that are now his trademark, it's difficult to fault Paleman for his technical chops. But it's equally difficult to find much cause to praise his music, devoid as it often is of character or imagination. Half Out is no different in this regard. The tracks thud with monochrome grimness, each one a variation on a theme: stolid kicks, brooding basslines, detailed percussion and muted vocal samples. The rhythmic intricacy is often impressive, but it never moves beyond the ornamental, and that's precisely what that these tracks are: ornamentation without object, scaffolding without a discernible hook or motif to hang on to.
Tracklist A Half Out
B Chapel