- "Water Delusion," the first track from The Five Elements Pt. 1 has a pitched-down Bruce Lee sample: "Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water." The house music of DJ Normal 4 and Bufiman (AKA Jan Schulte) follows this advice with adoptions of new age and breakbeat, with percussion that drips rather than thumps. The EP is fluid and fun. Chants and damp keyboard leads steer "Water Delusion"'s bass- and hand drum-led rhythm, while "Dance Of The Toads" combines rave chords and croaks in a way that reimagines a dance floor as a cartoonish botanical garden.
The two versions of "Wind Spell" falter. Schulte is usually a natural with chimes and birdcalls, but the "Bufi Energy Mix" is a touch overdone. Some instruments—especially the ripe bass synth—are too forceful, like using a hammer to knock in a thumbtack. The "N4 Hypnormal Dub" also has its gaudy moments—a pan flute gets a lusty workout—but its undulating arpeggios and scattered drum breaks gel more gracefully. "Bonus Beatz"'s skeletal array of chants, grunts and breaks has an even better command of rhythm.
TracklistA1 DJ Normal 4 - Water Delusion
A2 DJ Normal 4 & Bufiman - Wind Spell (N4 Hypnormal Dub)
B1 DJ Normal 4 & Bufiman - Wind Spell (Bufi Energy Mix)
B2 Bufiman & DJ Normal 4 - Dance Of The Toads
B3 Bufiman - Bonus Beatz