- If Ralph Lawson had to put one record in a time capsule to represent his storied label, he could do a lot worse than this EP from Kid Culture. It's house music that is, in turns, spacey, trippy and warm, but also tough, with an occasional Balearic hint peeking through.
The Dutch producer, a stalwart of the Amsterdam scene with releases on Gruuv and Suara in his catalogue, mines the early '90s with "Chord Chaser," marrying driving percussion and gauzy pads to a wobbling bass refrain. Kid Culture rolls across the studio to settle behind a Rhodes on "Nu Age Humming," refracting the sunshine created by the instrument through a prism of vocal smears and a low-slung, stripped-back groove. The gritty drums and heavy synth melodies of "Interstellar Drive By" call to mind Huxley, while "Burning Man" rattles along to the accompaniment of convulsive arps, groaning stabs and sizzling hi-hats.
TracklistA Chord Chaser
B1 Nu Age Humming
B2 Interstellar Drive By