Roma Zuckerman - That Present Terminal

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  • When I spoke to Nina Kraviz about her A&Ring last year, she said that she looks for music "that is almost not done completely, you know? There's like another final step that has to be done to call this song a finished thing. But I don't want it to be finished because my imagination is rich enough to finish it itself." This might explain why Roma Zuckerman's tracks have found a home on her трип label, appearing on the compilations I Have A Question and Sleep Not Found. The lesser-known Russian's music is extremely pared-back, but a few smart details make it rich with atmosphere and implication. His tracks so far have been druggy accretions of down-pitched voice and sneaky techno funk, and his debut solo EP explores a few other options without losing that unrefined charm. "Years" cleaves closest to his older tracks, only with a shot of jittery energy—the drums swing hard, the voices are terse and the melody jumpy. "So What (I Feel Dirty!)" is even harder, and the obvious lead track, careening along at a Kraviz-approved 140 BPM while a synth lead ties itself in knots. The energy drops on the B-side with "Your Ego," an oddity in Zuckerman's discography. Its sinuous pads are almost soulful, and the steadier clap-kick groove is only occasionally troubled by flickers of half-heard voice. This track comes closest to losing Zuckerman's trademark weird intrigue, which he makes up for on the bizarre "Robologia (Voice Ring Edit)," which sounds like a straight-off-the-DAT Chicago jack track with an added slug of 21st-century dread.
  • Tracklist
      A1 So What (I Feel Dirty!) A2 Years B1 Your Ego B2 Robologia (Voice Ring Edit)
RA