- Beat science inspired by the sound of Turkey.
- Ruben Üvez, a Rotterdam-based producer who's back with his third release for Nous'klaer Audio, is on to something. It says plenty about the clarity of his vision and style that his debut release, Kiran, was an album, a rare move by a rookie club music producer. On it, he introduced us to a blend of recurring elements that shaped a record Angus Finlayson described as "essential"—irregular time signatures, percussive intricacy and affecting melodies, all of which were in some way inspired, as he explained to Ransom Note, by the natural landscapes of Turkey, the country of his roots. Gegek continues in this vein and continues to impress.
Üvez's beat-science approach makes his music compatible with the likes of Hessle Audio, Livity Sound and Timedance. But even by the standards of those trail-blazing UK labels, his rhythms can sound strange. On "Uzaktaki Işık," Üvez places a percussion pattern and an acidic synth in an interlocking circular motion. I'm not smart enough to say what time signature it's in, but the grand entrance of a pad sound later in the track ties everything together with an easily appreciable logic. Üvez often sounds best when he pairs the rhythmic craftiness with affecting melodies, a point that "YTK" nicely illustrates with a mood that reminded me a little of Plastikman. "Gegek" is at the other end of his range—it's basically a drum track that's super heavy on hand percussion. The spirit of UK club music seems most present on "Ceviz," a cut that shudders forward with an uneasy synth, slabs of bass and snares drums where you're least expecting them.
TracklistA1 Ceviz
A2 Gegek
B1 Uzaktaki Işık
B2 YTK