- Old-school acid.
- Acid Test was originally a way to expand the boundaries of acid house, resulting in a melancholy style known colloquially as "sad acid," defined by artists like Tin Man and Recondite. But here we are in 2023 with an Acid Test release that harks back to the grimy, oil-caked origins of the genre, with a record that could easily be from 1985. It comes from Detroit master Marcellus Pittman, who brings a new kind of street cred to the label with three of the rawest acid cuts I've heard in a while.
The title track, "Facid Trunktion," is initially nothing more than a sputtering drum machine, the kind of tune that can really make you appreciate the sound of a good old snare and hi-hat. It builds into a choppy groove with a grotty acid lead and dazed, Kassem Mosse-style chords—as if the keyboard they were coming from couldn't power on all the way—and by the time it's in full swing, its low-end swagger is remarkably huge given its spartan arrangement.
That same feeling serves "Sanskrit Body Rock,"a simpler groove blessed by a dusty synth string lead that borrows some of its whimsy from the UK-style of acid house. Think 808 State, but transplanted back into acid house's original home of Midwest America. Finally, there's "Ask It Acid," probably the nastiest track here, with a stiff, Wax-Trax style kick drum pattern that comes in and out like the work of a turntablist DJ. It's only a few elements, highlighting the power that acid house still has in our collective imagination. And no wonder: this set of sounds never gets old.
Tracklist01. Facid Trunktion
02. Sanskrit Body Rock
03. Ask It Acid