- A nice guy turns bad on the B-side of the Prologue EP, the first release on a new label from old pals Etienne and TC80. The lattter, best known for the sun-kissed deep house he put out on Cabaret Recordings, delivers one of 2017's meanest tunes in "Reason," a peak-time floor-filler that strips techno down to its essentials. Most of the grunt comes from its growling bassline, which carries a hint of deranged melody as it pitches up and down. A bleepy riff lightens the mood about one third in, as does a housey clap that comes and goes while squiggles dart around in the midrange. TC80's second track, "Inertia," is goofier, but there's also a nastiness to its squelching low-end.
Etienne's tunes on the A-side land closer to electro. A low-key but revered DJ and an underrated producer (his stoned groover "Dez" from last year was a sleeper hit), Etienne has a reputation for unearthing forgotten bombs, so the strong retro presence is no surprise. But there's plenty modern about "Mplified" and "Mphasis," where icy melodies feel like they have been dragged from decaying machines. Twisted and upbeat, these tracks walk the line between the abstract and functional, a balance the rest of Prologue nails.
TracklistA1 Etienne - Mplified
A2 Etienne - Mphasis
B1 TC80 - Reason
B2 TC80 - Inertia