- "The best way for me to improve at making music is being better at not doing it," Danish producer Natal Zaks told Inverted Audio last month. It's an enviable position to be in—many people struggle to find the time or motivation for the studio, not the other way around. According to the discography on his website, he's had a hand in more than 20 releases since January 2014, spread between various aliases and put out by labels like Yield, his own Help Recordings and, most recently, Dekmantel. Even more impressive is the consistency—listen to any of those and you'll be struck by their warmth and depth, whether he's making acid as Central or balmy, breakbeat house in 11-man collective Regelbau. In short, Zaks is an artist you need to know about.
Before releasing his two Dekmantel records as Central, Zaks slipped out Mercy, a four-tracker on Origami Sound under a new alias, Soft Talk. It's his third EP for the Bucharest label and also his best, presenting an earthy, stripped-back, percussive house sound that he shapes into varying moods. The title track is understated and restless, a male voice repeating "mercy" over a bed of off-kilter drums, shuffling snares and cosy pads. The elements never sit still; no four bars are the same.
The more frantic "Radar" is several BPM faster, with wooden sounds rattling around in the spaces between kicks and synth clangs. It'd work well in sets by oddball techno DJs like Joey Anderson. "Visit," the EP's clear standout, would be better suited to Zip or DJ Sprinkles, thanks to its big, buttery bassline and functional structure. "Ladywalk," on the other hand, is likely too soft and spacey for either of them. Zaks stirs up the emotions through a gorgeous cloud of jazzy guitar noodles and expansive chords.
TracklistA1 Mercy
A2 Radar
B1 Visit
B2 Ladywalk