- Deeper Kenz is a new project from one of the artists behind Aught, a defunct experimental techno and electronica label. In contrast to Aught's out-there electronics, Deeper Kenz explores more familiar sounds. (It's named after the Philadelphia neighbourhood of Kensington where Kenz has lived for the last few years.) The music on this self-titled EP was written in an attempt to "light up" a rough-around-the-edges community, and made to play at the Club Congress party where Deeper Kenz was once a resident. It's full of perky percussion and arresting loops, the kind of music that's become 100% Silk's bread and butter.
Most of Deeper Kenz has an earthy disco strut, though some elements from Aught linger. Everything on the catchy "Body Ache" is so doused in reverb that it feels translucent, giving the track a ghostly pallor. The chords on the Chicago-style "On The Viaduct" are like gusts of warm air. Kenz's imaginative sense for rhythm is present on "Taino's Groove," an orchestra of woodblocks so tangled that it barely needs a kick drum to make its point.
The B-side feels elementary in comparison. It holds four strident disco house cuts with jazzy samples that are looped until they turn hypnotic. The title track is the standout, with gasping vocals, saxophone and filtered chords that sound like listening to a distant backyard BBQ—you can almost hear people having a good time in the song's giddy groove. According to its producer, Deeper Kenz was meant to soundtrack happy times in a place that needed happy vibes, and indeed, it's an EP of faultlessly feel-good house music.
TracklistA1 On The Viaduct
A2 Taino's Groove
A3 Body Ache
A4 American Street
B1 K & A Shade
B2 CDO Palms
B3 Jack's Famous
B4 Deeper Kenz