- Subtle, atmospheric house for the "in-between" stages of a party.
- What a desirable position Workshop finds itself in. Lowtec and Even Tuell's label has spent the past 13 years casually releasing club music for the "in-between" stages of the night—the beginning, the end, the afterparty. They move unhurriedly, putting out no more than a few records a year, and not having to shout about it when they do. Yet there's a sense of occasion with each new Workshop 12-inch, an incredibly difficult thing to achieve in such a saturated and fast-moving market place. For followers of the label, Workshop 27 is even more of an event than usual: it's a return from Paul David Rollmann, AKA Even Tuell, who steps up for his first release on Workshop since 2013's Workshop Special 02, a highly sought-after EP whose B2 is considered a classic.
"Rise March Mellow," the A1 here, has the same sort of chilled anthem quality. Its central melody bears a striking resemblance to Radiohead's "Daydreaming" in its spiralling, emotive loveliness. I'm not sure all of the parts truly sing in unison at the track's climax, a sense of busyness taking something away from the evident emotion, but expect it to get plenty of DJ play. Rollmann is in a somewhat punchier mood elsewhere. "Highway Daydreams" and "Sharp And Shallow" attempt a bold balancing act between overdriven drum machines and charming atmospherics. The latter in particular really goes for it, the cone-busting bassline leaping out of the arrangement. Workshop and Rollmann's oddball credentials are further highlighted by "Domingo Nap," a beatless cut that mostly features a single, naked part that could be a guitar or a synthesizer pretending to be one. A noisy bassline swells near the end, another subtle surprise in a label discography full of them.
TracklistA1 Rise March Mellow
A2 Highway Daydreams
B1 Domingo Nap
B2 Sharp And Shallow