- DJ Sling, AKA Daniel Isling, has co-run Born Free Records since 2011, building a dream world of off-kilter house, acid and techno. But only now, after a collaboration with Samo DJ as Sling & Samo and pushing breakout names like Powder and Baba Stiltz, do we get his first solo EP. With the laidback and goofy sound that typifies the Swedish scene, The Secret fits nicely alongside Isling's curatorial choices. But where lots of those records have a playful attitude (see last year's parody of "Hollaback Girl"), The Secret feels darker.
The EP is full of twiddling melodies and rubbery basslines that operate in groggy spaces. The track titles—"Watch Out," "A Knife In Your Back," "I Feel Weak"—are also dark. The first tune is thick and druggy, with syrupy drums that quiver with each hit and a spoken vocal about confusion and apathy ("This is the end / But you don't even want to remain"). The other two carry a quieter kind of loneliness, mixing toy-like melodies into woozy grooves and foggy textures. "The Secret Is Out" is a moment of relief thanks to soothing rhythms and soft sounds that slip by like a pleasant dream.
TracklistA1 Watch Out
A2 A Knife In Your Back
B1 I Feel Weak
B2 The Secret Is Out