- If the name DJ Plant Texture isn't a weed reference, then the Italian producer has inadvertently made it seem like one. Dona Basile, who has released records under other aliases since 2013, debuted his project last year with a record called HiFi, which was adorned with little more than a green marijuana leaf. Those big, acid-touched drum tracks were no doubt smoky and blurred, just like the one he released on Unknown To The Unknown a few months later, but the third DJ Plant Texture record, for Crème Organization's Jericho One sublabel, goes further into the haze. Old video game samples, dubwise effects, hulking junglist bass, blown-out breaks and a beatless, mono version of "Maybe Sometimes"—you could practically get a contact high listening to Cyclone.
The title cut is subtitled "Tribute To The '90s," which is either a little joke or another sign of Basile's blunted state of mind. Everything about these tracks sounds ripped from the '90s, from the glowing rave synths and breaks worship to the casual way they're recorded and mixed. Purposely derivative as it all is, the music is irresistible. "Lello From SDA" oozes atmosphere even as it drops blistering bass weight and goes wild with yappy samples, while "Cyclone" does much of the same, swapping the euphoric pads for gritty Street Fighter clips. Only "Gargantuans" verges on overdoing it, taking on more rhythmic patterns, samples and synths as it shimmies forth. The climaxes are a bit messy, but in the thick of the clutter and old-school references, there's a heart and soul that's hard to deny.
TracklistA1 Maybe Sometimes
A2 Maybe Sometimes (2_3 Psymono Mix)
A3 Lello From SDA
B1 Gargantuans
B2 Cyclone (Tribute To The '90s)
B3 D_One