- With help from his studio partner Martin Buttrich, Loco Dice spent much of the '00s supplementing his flourishing DJ career with a steady run of slick minimal bombs on labels like Ovum, Cadenza and Minus. "Seeing Through Shadows" and "Tight Laces," which featured on Dice's excellent debut album, were hits on the world's coolest dance floors. But as his profile ballooned in the early '10s, his output slowed, before completely grinding to a halt around 2012. When he returned three years later with a new album packed with unlikely—and in some cases unfortunate—collaborations, the Dice of old was barely recognisable.
Three years later Dice seems to have had a change of heart. His latest single, "Roots," might not capture the magic of the '00s, but it's far from a slice of cheesy pop-house. The first two minutes, in particular, are solid. A bleepy melody prances over crunchy drums, the groove frisky without overdoing it. Things slip in the second half, as expansive big-room synths, a second melody and the sound of a spring being flicked clutter the composition. The gruff vocal also jars, so reach for the instrumental version. Roots might show Dice back on the right path, but there's still a long way to go.
Tracklist01. Roots
02. Roots (Instrumental)