- In a Q&A with Resident Advisor almost four years ago, Anton Zap suggested change was afoot. "This year I'm trying to reorganise myself," he said. Since his debut around a decade ago, Zap has built a reputation through deep house enriched by elements of jazz and dub. In 2013, he released Water, a debut album that merged a reliable dance floor formula with hiss-laden ambient and drowsy tempos. Subsequent EPs have edged towards other styles, including breakbeat and Maurizio-style dub techno.
Zap's tweaks on Bapbab are more conservative. On the A1, he lets a gristly chord loop unspool. As DJ tools go, it has more charm than usual. A staccato bassline, which stumbles and skips over the track's chewy grind, offers an exit ramp for DJs looking to transition to lighter material. Sturdiness makes way for instability on the A2, where Zap's sci-fi sound library is set loose. An arsenal of pings and bleeps echo in aqueous dub. IDM-style drums stutter and seize up while Zap binds aspects of Actress and Aphex Twin into an accessible whole. Zap wears these styles effortlessly, but the music most recognisable as his own is equally compelling. The gently psychedelic B-side, where Zap adds acid as a brooch-like accessory, is where he shows his truest self.
TracklistA1 Untitled
A2 Untitled
B1 Untitled