Shonky - HB013

  • Quirky house from one of London's top minimal crews.
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  • It's fitting that the first-ever edition of Half Baked was a birthday party. Ten years later, the East London staple still retains the same celebratory atmosphere. In 2009, while other promoters were filling bleak warehouses with trendy acts, big soundsystems and little else, Bruno Ciaramicoli and Remi Landaz had a different vision, going big on colour and decór in an attempt to create the kind of party people would want to visit again and again. Its musical heart was groovy deep house, pushed by talented DJs like Seuil, Robin Ordell and Greg Brockmann. At some point, someone had the genius idea to hang bikes from the ceiling. Slowly, the concept took shape. In 2013, the team started Half Baked Records. The label has its busiest year yet ahead, with six EPs planned as part of the party's ten-year anniversary celebrations. The second outing comes from Apollonia's Shonky, who, despite being one of the party's best-loved guests, has never released on the label. HB013, which features three originals and a Robin Ordell remix, is Half Baked through and through: slinky and functional house with a quirky streak. Quirkiness isn't always a good thing, though. On "StudioOne," a rubbery bassline dominates initially, before the onus switches midway through to a strange, jittery synth pattern. It's off-kilter and sort of captivating, if ultimately jarring. "Brazilienne" is brighter and better, with glitchy twinkles, soft chords and the well-known robotic vocal from "Award Tour" by A Tribe Called Quest pairing nicely with a warm bassline. Tough and techy, "Fido Dido" also has a nice tumbling groove going on, until, once again, discordant sonic flourishes unnecessarily tarnish the flow. Ordell's remix, cleaner and more driving, strips these odds and ends away in place of some feather-light pads. It shows that a few nips and tucks can go a long way.
  • Tracklist
      A1 StudioOne A2 Brazilienne B1 Fido Dido B2 Fido Dido (Robin Ordell Remix)
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