- At what point does an aesthetic become a gimmick, a hallmark become a crutch? Wherever that line is drawn, Jimmy Edgar's Ultramajic label seems dead set on finding it. His roster is almost exclusively interested in hyperactive ghetto-tech with an inclination for streamlined ideas. And they all make a solid go of it, from Crystal Bandito to German native Chambray (AKA André Rost). But sometimes fitting a mold isn't enough, no matter how specific and unusual it is. Rost's Work That EP falters because it's too content to ride Ultramajic's well-trodden path.
The Berlin producer's debut release, Rub, was dramatic and explosive, using big vocal samples and shiny rave synths to offset the raucous drum machines. By comparison, Work That is a study in restraint, which doesn't suit the music well. The title track relies heavily on a basic 909 stomp and its titular voice commands, so by the time its melodic stabs show up it feels like too little too late. You could say the same thing for "In Effect"'s filter rushes and snare rolls, or the garage-y jig that "Those Jawns" pulls off with organ chords and hi-hat gymnastics. Opener "Anew" does better by giving its airy vocals space to shrink and expand in the rollicking mix. Rost doesn't hold back nearly as much here either; his liberal use of diamond-cut keys and pupil-dilating climaxes offers a playful antidote to the largely ineffective tracks elsewhere on the EP.
Tracklist01. Anew
02. Work That
03. In Effect
04. Those Jawns