Various - Birdie #04

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  • After its first few releases, a label often starts to assert its personality. In Birdie's case, this might mean understatement: it's practically determined to not show off. Its records have no big breakdowns or vocals, and the melodies on most tracks are lean, there to simply service the beat. Birdie #04 is, like its predecessors, a quietly physical record. You don't quite realise how brawny it is until you study it up close. It also edges into more expressive sounds, likely due to the variety of artists included across its four tracks. Mosca's remix of "Playtime," a Trevino track from the label's first EP, puts in a set of cardiogram bleeps and a crunchy, metallic bassline that moves with urgency. When stripped to its frame during the break, you can make out the sub-bass rolling quickly, if a little unsteadily, like wheels on a gurney. Scarred pads propel the polyrhythmic house of Sideways, AKA Trevino and DJ Lee, on "Reverse Momentum." It has a strange astringency, like a sweet drink laced with traces of copper, though the wash of synths that arrives later help it avoid getting too bitter. "Sidewinder" falls back on the label's self-contained style—Nick Sinna's low-octave beat pulls the drums and bassline towards its sludgy centre, but his rhythm stays supple. Adam Pék and Cory James turn out Birdie #04's most striking inclusion: a graceful breakbeat track shot through with thick ambient swells. Its pale patina draws on the label's natural reserve, but because it sounds so unlike anything else on Birdie, it can't help but stand out.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Nick Sinna - Sidewinder A2 Sideways - Reverse Momentum B1 Trevino - Playtime (Mosca's One In The Chamber Version) B2 Adam Pék and Cory James - Dark Reaction
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