Sage Caswell - Surface Tracks 1 EP

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  • In the three years since his debut, Sage Caswell has made short work of refining his hybrid sound. It's house several times removed from the Midwestern bloodline but clearly related, and combined with a sticky disco warmth. Its source material is chopped, MPC-style, into gristly chunks. (The music could work as an accent in a techno set.) Caswell has also explored an interest in new age and ambient through releases like Sleep Quarters, his most ambitious set of tracks. Beyond that, the LA producer's experimental tendencies are fitful. When your instincts for the dance floor are as sharp as his—see the spacious slam of Tribute To CC Archer and the zoetrope-filtered vocal of "House Of Jeans"—perhaps that doesn't matter. But with such familiar raw materials, Caswell's functional arrangements on Surface Tracks 1 don't do enough to keep things fresh. The EP can also be indelicate to a fault, too—Caswell sometimes uses a hammer where a chisel might've been more useful. The proportions are well-judged on the crisp, techno-ish bang of "Actraiser" and the tactile thrum of "You Can Waste My Time," but he falters on "99 Goodbye," whose tender ingredients bruise beneath a thick, ever-present hi-hat. Even the heavier fare can get by on its natural swing, but "Scenario Day" feels squeezed and stiff, like wearing a suit that's two sizes too small. As a barrel-chested, peak-time DJ tool, Surface Tracks 1 is upfront about what it's for. It could very well have the desired effect on dance floors, but Caswell doesn't seem to be pushing himself.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Actraiser A2 You Can Waste My Time B1 99 Goodbye B2 Scenario Day
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