- There's a balance essential to much of modern dance music that Whities does particularly well: just the right amount of club, just the right amount of art. Its new one, from Jules Venturini, feels a bit stuck between those poles, but still meets the label's standard of striking music by up-and-coming artists. Based in London following a stint in Berlin, Venturini runs a label called South London Analogue Material, home to exquisitely brutal techno records from inspired newcomers like himself (ABSL, Ansome, Gaja, Keepsakes). Along with two split EPs as Catch, he's put out one 12-inch of his own, a scuzzy left-field club record on the Polish label Brutaż. His second EP keeps that experimental edge, but draws from a warmer, more dreamlike sound.
The centerpiece of Whities 14 is "Flying Kites," an 11-minute kaleidoscope of strings, bleeps and pixelated whispers. It's split in two by a beat that arrives five minutes in, at which point the track becomes a club remix of itself. Personally I like it better before this happens—paired with a kick drum, its glittering arrangement suddenly feels a bit twee, though on the right dance floor it could make for a dazzling moment. The other two tracks, "Keep Me Close" and "Trace Of Smoke," are more abstract—hazy floaters with a streak of melancholy, reminiscent of Actress's RIP. Pretty as they are, they don't quite get under your skin. But in their boldness and strength of style, they make Venturini look like an artist capable of great things.
TracklistA1 Flying Kites
B1 Keep Me Close
B2 Trace Of Smoke