- This eponymous EP from Chase Smith forms part of a fresh batch of typically leftfield releases from William Burnett's WT Records. Smith debuted on Technoir Audio (a label co-run by Shawn Rudiman, with whom he shares a Pittsburgh studio) back in 2010 with Romance Synthetique, a pensive house and techno three-tracker with a pinch of coasting Balearic. This record expands that template in several different directions at once.
In the blue corner we have "Alright" and "Friday Night Mantra"—the former a chugging Balearic number, the latter impressionistic techno-pop. Smith's mumbling, introverted vocals just about take centre stage in both, their bedroom amateurishness forming an intriguing counterpart to the glossiness of the backing. Even more laid-back is "Miles Away." It has an infinity pool-like breakdown, while its dappled dub chords and ripples of percussion are only briefly troubled by a kick drum. In the red corner, meanwhile, is "(It's Grim In) Mala Jaska," a plaster-loosening techno workout in the L.I.E.S. mold, and a good one, too. The bristling percussion and distorted bass snarl may sound shipped in from another record entirely, but that's not to diminish its blistering, primal power.
TracklistA1 Alright
A2 Miles Away
B1 It's Grim in (Mala Jaska)
B2 Friday Night Manta