SFV Acid ‎- DOep & Jazzchamber

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  • Most house producers make music for dancing. SFV Acid (AKA Zane Reynolds) makes dance music for walking around. A 2013 short film about Reynolds positioned him as a warped documentarian of the San Fernando Valley, a sprawling region of north LA known for porn, strip malls and films like E.T. and the Karate Kid. Reynolds treads Reseda Boulevard on foot, talks to characters on the street, draws them in his notebook—the portraits are playful, grotesque and psychedelic. In the documentary, Reynolds claims that's how he actually perceives things, and it's worth applying the conceit to DOep and Jazzchamber, a double-pack released on BAKK, a label and party from The Hague. Jazzchamber features some of the most straight-ahead SFV Acid dance tracks to date—in Reynold's hands, though, the basic clay of dance music comes out charmingly misshapen. It starts off with "Free Way," a reference to where Angelenos spend time in traffic. Reynolds must find the experience pleasant. The track begins in half-time, before launching into a fantasia of warm, melodic pads and pleasant, circular leads. On "French Delmar," a wonky bassline and jacking percussion mix with a synth lead that threatens to drift out of tune, perhaps evoking the smog over the busy city. "CG Funk" looks to Dâm-Funk, another LA original, for inspiration. Reynolds' version of boogie-house is tattered around the edges, with odd synth effects and clanking hi-hats snuck into the LBC-style G-funk. The accompanying DOep sees Reynolds tipping his hat to IDM, the apparent heroes being Ceephax Acid Crew and Aphex Twin. Even track names like "Dickinsdontlie" and "Extrakrizzbeat" imply Drukqs-like neologism. "STWF" is ominous hardware electro that holds up to Analord highlights, and the title track also borders on homage, pairing an acid line with dreamy synths and meticulously cut-up drums. What Reynolds has over average Autechre and Squarepusher superfans is a knack for epic melody, which pairs impeccably with his hyper-proficient programming. Taken together, Jazzchamber and DOep fully explore Reynolds' various zones. We've heard the heady, Rephlex-style IDM from him before, but his analog house avoids overt experimentalism to still arrive on something just as weirdly and unmistakably him.
  • Tracklist
      Jazzchamber: A1 Free Way B1 French Delmar B2 CG Funk DOep: A1 DOep A2 STWF B1 Dickinsdontlie B2 Wenegelam B3 Extrakrizzbeat
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