- Unconventional yet touching house on Matthew Herbert's label.
- Perhaps better than any house producer on the planet, Matthew Herbert can produce abstract tunes that feel deeply emotional. The same goes for his labels, including Accidental Jnr, the outlet releasing Gerry Read's new EP, Preventing Violence Against Ears. Its four tracks are fuzzy and weird, hovering in the moving zone explored by sample-loving producers like DJ Koze, Four Tet and Caribou. It's no surprise Herbert liked Read's tunes—like his best work, they pair subtle house grooves with oddball samples and melodies, giving them an appeal that will stretch far beyond the walls of a club.
Accidental Jnr is a label focussed on club tracks, but most DJs will have a hard time finding a place for Preventing Violence Against Ears. Deep and meditative, "Baby It's So Hard" feels like something that could have been found midway through any of DJ Koze's recent albums, thanks to its bittersweet melody, scuzzy drums and chopped vocal snippets. "Today Or Tomorrow" is funkier, pairing the kind of descending bassline you hear in minimal house with more fuzzy melodies and vocals. Then there are the clubbier tracks, "Lick It Off The Floor" and "Preventing." They might be tough, but with disoriented, stuttering grooves and layered melodies, they'll be difficult to work into a set—leave it to people like Herbert and Four Tet, DJs who dazzle dance floors with unconventional gems like these.
TracklistA1 Today Or Tomorrow
A2 Baby It's So Hard
B1 Lick It Off The Floor
B2 Preventing