- Everything about this release by Philippe Quenum is surprising. It's firstly surprising that it's been 13 years since he recorded for Cadenza. In 2003, he and label boss Luciano wrote "Orange Mistake," a track that's now considered to be one of the best minimal house cuts of all time. After spending the last few years pushing rolling tech house, it's also surprising that Cadenza is releasing this kind of classically rooted minimal. (It's safe to say that fans of the label's early music have long since given up.) But most all, it's surprising just how good Solitaire is.
I was also surprised at Quenum's choice of sounds here: in places they're rude, with synths that seem inspired by drum & bass or hardcore. The application of these synths might be too much for some DJs, but "Mystic" should still pass that particular sniff test. It has one of those muted beats that marked the best early Cadenza releases, and a tension-building bassline and scattered robo-voice that hang heavily in the druggy air. The track has a brief but exceptionally well-executed breakdown: a warped synth phrase lurches forward, before the beats return with a fresh hi-hat for maximum dance floor clout.
"Solitaire" is built from similar parts, but here the gloves are off. Quenum sets up an infectious drum loop and sporadically dishes out enormous LFO blasts, the occasional vocal phrase and some warped incidental sounds. With noodling organs and snapping drums, "Mystery" is the closest relative to "Orange Mistake." The ugly rave tropes are sparingly deployed, as Quenum piles on percussion in the manner of another Luciano classic: his remix of Argy's "Love Dose." The final surprise should be on the faces of those who hear these tracks on the right dance floor.
TracklistA1 Solitaire
B1 Mystery
B2 Mystic