- Omar-S's latest EP falls short of his high standards.
- In 1992, Alan Oldham introduced one of his Fast Forward radio shows with a Belgian techno track by Channel X, which had a chant that went, "Dial ecstasy!" That same year, Jeff Mills played a key DJ set at New Music Seminar in New York's Limelight club. Meanwhile, Frankie Bones and Adam X's Storm Rave parties, also in New York, were taking off. Omar-S's latest EP, 1992, is supposedly dedicated to this sort of techno from that year. Unfortunately, it's inspired some of the Detroit producer's blandest work.
The title track, with its stubbornly unchanging synth lead, is particularly unsatisfying. Gusts of badly blown woodwind and huffing intercom blasts add texture, but the impact is negligible. "Homey Triniton," a clapping drum track, is memorable only for its novel tempo (150 BPM). Its simple synth melody is cute but too slight in the mix, especially against the blowtorch purr of the bass stabs. The best of the three, "Light Year Flight," has a keen melodic sense—Mike Banks plays the piano—but the composition feels cumbersome and unbalanced, weighed down by sopping synth chords. 1992 sounds nothing like the music to which it's paying tribute. But the real disappointment is how far the music falls below Omar-S's own standards.
TracklistA1 Light Year Flight
B1 1992
B2 Homey Trinitron