- Cool & Frank are all about bass tones. They donk, wow and sizzle on every track on Missteps At The Transfer Station, but they don't get old. On the contrary: it's the engine room that makes this electroid EP stand out from the noise. "2 Live All B C & R"'s straight beat becomes a shifting matrix once the bass gets to work. It's actually quite simple, but the odd sequence length of the filter modulation turns it into an evolving, prismatic shape. The clincher is a steadily rising synth tone that comes in after the first break. The ascending pitch makes it feel like we're being wheeled up to the heavens on an invisible escalator.
"Illustrator Acid" isn't quite as spectacular. The way the bass and the groove gel makes for a gloriously funky tune, especially when they gesture to a 4/4 kick pattern that never quite emerges. The remaining two tracks are subtler. "Business Library3" shows the Cool & Frank sound also works at low tempos. Again, the morphing bass steals the show, providing an extraterrestrial edge that stops the drifting chords from feeling too sentimental. The title track has moments of early IDM beauty, showing Cool & Frank are as adept at pads and harmony as they are with bass. While the overall sound palette is old school, Cool & Frank program sounds in a way that feels very much their own.
TracklistA1 2 Live All B C & R
B1 Illustrator Acid
B2 Missteps At The Transfer Station
B3 Business Library3