- Dense and colourful house from one half of Juju & Jordash.
- When an artist is called a "DJ's DJ" or a "producer's producer," it's usually code for someone who's been grafting for a decade or more, beloved of Discogs geeks, discerning DJs and record shop employees, and chronically underappreciated by the press and public all the while—either because the artist cringes out of principle at "playing the game" or, basically, they don't give a shit. Jordan GCZ, for better or worse, fits the "producer's producer" category pretty well. Since 2013, the artist, AKA Jordan Czamanski, has released about one EP a year, all of which were made to an exacting standard. His first, Crybaby J, was rich, introspective house. The one after, Digitalis, reached into the dubby, psychedelic realms of his music as half of Juju & Jordash. 2015's Lushlyfe and the follow-up, Lushlyfe II, journeyed into synthetic rainforests. But despite its consistency, his music seems curiously hype-free beyond insider circles.
That might not change with "Pinball Lizard"—its wonky charisma feels too esoteric for the average festival crowd—but it's among Czamanski's best tunes. It's a dense and colourful spaghetti junction of leads, chords and doodled harmonies, a kind of high-on-life hi-tech soul. "Pinball Lizard" is an apt title—from the unpredictable melodies to the flipper-like claps, each element moves as though controlled by a skilled yet nervous arcade gamer. "Yellow Jackets Descend" has a few unpredictable turns of its own. Underneath raspy bass and celestial pads, electric guitar phrases slide into off-key curls. When these mildly abrasive lines subside, "Yellow Jackets Descend" suddenly slips into a woozy, low-lit groove.
"Minor 7 Resin" feels like the EP's most experimental track. On the one hand, the synths evoke plush Detroit house. But the burbling tones on top pull towards the '70s electronics of Tangerine Dream or Laurie Spiegel. Czamanski doesn't quite pull it off. The synths aren't a great foil for "Minor 7 Resin"'s manic energy, and the combination generally struggles to gel properly. That shouldn't put you off an otherwise excellent EP.
TracklistA1 Pinball Lizard
B1 Yellow Jackets Descend
B2 Minor 7 Resin