iO (Mulen) - Lucky Fish Part 3

  • Tech house tools done right.
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  • iO (Mulen) has a formula that sounds both unassuming and distinct. On records like his three-part LP, Lucky Fish, the Ukrainian producer works with a toolkit of sounds and samples rearranged to create different iterations of an idea. On Part 3, he delivers four tools that nestle wiggy effects in a satisfying percussive palate of closed hi-hat clicks, slappy kicks and grumbling bass loops. It's a more stripped-back 12-inch than the other Lucky Fish records, and it nails the magic of loopy tech house done right. In iO's hands, minor variations can have important implications for energy or momentum. Slightly different clap or hi-hat sounds contribute to the high-altitude spring of "Sear" versus the clomping stomp and sagging weight on "Doll Roll." "Pow-Wow" has a lateral, jerky hop that creates an off-kilter bedrock for goofy melodic components, which makes it the most distinctive track on the record, and the hardest to play. iO is at his best when he's at his tooliest, as on "Course," an engrossing, flexible roller with colorful one-shot sounds that spring out of two interplaying basslines.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Course A2 Pow-Wow B1 Doll Roll B2 Sear
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