- Showing off a penchant for '90s house and more experimental rave styles, DJ Seinfeld's debut album, Time Spent Away From U, was rooted in an emotive, filter-heavy sound. If you've caught a Seinfeld club set, you may have heard him explore grittier soundscapes that dip into electro, trance and breaks. His first release of 2018, the Sakura EP for Or:la and Breakwave's Deep Sea Frequency, continues to explore the middle-ground between lo-fi house and heavier styles—or as the press release puts it, the balance between "fragility and force."
The EP begins with "Sakura," a churning electro workout with a rising melody built for a peak-time dance floor. "Sagrada" messes with wonky rhythms, growling bass and vocal moans for the record's most off-kilter tune. "Belvedere" is filled with loopy breaks and the same kind of diva vocals we heard on Seinfeld's album, plus some uplifting nods to trance. He ups the tempo on "Battery," a sinister, bass-heavy number filled with cosmic bells, breaks and melodic synths. Lacking some of the playfulness of his earlier work, Sakura might alienate some of DJ Seinfeld's original lo-fi house fans. But anyone up for something weirder and heavier will feel right at home.
TracklistA1 Sakura
A2 Sagrada
B1 Belvedere
B2 Battery