- To call the Swedish footwork scene niche is an understatement, but if it produces more artists like Henry Rodric, it's one that needs championing. For his Studio Barnhus debut, the Stockholm-based software engineer mixes up footwork with house, funk and techno for a bare-knuckle ride that, despite being six tracks long, is over in about 18 minutes.
Mixing house tropes with footwork may put Rodrick in danger of sounding like a Machinedrum tribute act, but only "Hey Baby," with its pitched-up vocal loop, comes close to that. "The Loot" has got it all—high-octane steel chimes, Geiger counter beats and emotive analog synths. Rodrick twists funk vocals into Salsoul strings and jabbering bass on "Rain & Tears," but the frantic "Don't Believe" wears its DJ Rashad-isms perhaps too brazenly on its sleeve. "Sour Gherkin" is a rush of acid, itchy keys and low-end bass, before Rodrick closes with "Inner City Lites" which, perhaps unwittingly, calls to mind DJ Marky's late '90s filtered house/drum & bass hybrid.
TracklistA1 Hey Baby
A2 The Loot
A3 Rain & Tears
B1 Don't Believe
B2 Sour Gherkin
B3 Inner City Lites