- London's Lobster Theremin has been carving out a niche for itself since 2013. Its left-of-center, hardware-centric house, techno and electro tracks aren't exactly experimental, but they do explore dance music's outer fringes. Fresh-faced Londoner Ozel AB sticks to the label's aesthetic on his debut EP, Crimes, though he may be one of its more restrained producers. The record's four tracks straddle the line separating deep house and techno, careful not to sacrifice a heady vibe for dance floor indulgence.
On the A-side, both "Sidestep To Your Left" and "Digital Natives" keep things light with formless pads and dreamy atmospherics. The former is jazzy and limber, but "Digital Natives" flips its soporific mood at the last minute to reveal a jacking, acid-laced underbelly. "Karim Bey," a thumping, hypnotic number, pulls off a similar trick towards the end, and the way "La Busqueda" slowly transitions from rhythmic ambience into a funky groove is thoughtfully seductive. And therein lies the strength of Crime: not everything is as it first seems, but it's all effective, interconnected, and familiar enough to keep you transfixed.
TracklistA1 Sidestep To Your Left
A2 Digital Natives
B1 Karim Bey
B2 La Busqueda (fatwhitehandsmix)