- Toss Portal is the second of two Joy Orbison 12-inches released in early 2017. They're also Peter O'Grady's first solo EPs since 2012. The first landed on Hinge Finger. The second, which launches O'Grady's new Toss Portal label, is stronger and in places sounds like O'Grady's past work. A rough-and-tumble ride that delights with melody, it also shows how his production style has changed after years of collaborating with Boddika.
You could mistake "Rid" for a Boddika and Joy Orbison collaboration if you didn't know any better. It has a spiralling bassline that seems designed to elicit odd, exaggerated dance moves. Then there's "Walworth Window," a slower techno track loaded with weird vocal samples, heady dub effects and snags in the groove. The lopsided but chunky "98 Koln," a sketch, sounds like O'Grady messing around in the studio. He saves the best for last with "Rite Ov," which melds the old with the new. The sandpaper textures and choppy effects sound like tricks he learned in the studio with Boddika. But the way the bassline stumbles around clips of R&B vocals is the kind of thing he's been stealing hearts with since "Hyph Mngo." Soulful but raw, it's a catchy dance track that could only be O'Grady's. It's good to have him back.
TracklistA1 Rid
A2 Walworth Window
B1 98 Koln
B2 Rite Ov