- Contorted, slippery 909s steal the show on the Pretty Weird head honcho's production debut.
- Last summer, Chloé Robinson began a fairly public metamorphosis. The Pretty Weird label boss dropped her (dodgy-to-Google) Barely Legal moniker and started DJing under her given name. This coincided with her decision to try her hand at production, something she had time to perfect while living in Colombia during the initial round of Covid lockdowns with her longtime back-to-back partner, DJ ADHD. In a candid series of interviews over the course of last summer—including an RA Exchange—Robinson detailed her anxieties about changing names, sexism in the music industry and the limits (re: racist and classist undertones) of being labeled as a "bass music" DJ. Steamin' channels that anxiety and Robinson's progression as she and DJ ADHD put their 909 through the ringer on two tracks of elastic techno, alongside a Four Tet remix.
The title track is simple and sparse, but all three elements—the drums, bassline and occasional vocal sample—each evoke a distinct aspect of Robinson's musical past and present. The kicks and snares are contemporary techno, the MC vocal samples sound lifted from a grime track, while the bassline is pure, unadulterated party. "Pax" is a similarly spartan masterclass in getting your money's worth out of a drum machine. It never settles into a single groove, making it sound like Robinson and DJ ADHD are constantly reaching over each other's shoulder to reprogram the 909. Adding a snare line here, taking out a measure there and, why not, chucking in those kicks that sound like whoopie cushions at the end.
A Kieran Hebden co-sign is anyone's dream on a debut (and shows that he can put his money where his mouth is), though his remix is surprisingly understated. There are a couple Hebden flourishes—the modulating bassline, the swung snare rolls—but he channels the minimal ethos of the original, offering a touch-up instead of a face lift. This restraint speaks to just how good the two originals are and, judging by the quality of other unreleased gold both have teased, I'm sure we'll be hearing from Robinson for summers to come.
Tracklist01. Pax
02. Steamin
03. Pax (Four Tet Remix)