- Expressive house and dubby techno done deep the Detroit way.
- Detroit artist Julion De'Angelo has a way with drums. On his debut EP for Theo Parrish's Sound Signature label—a split record with Thomas Xu—the producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist showed off his ear for Afro-Cuban percussion, staggering beats with Bauhaus-style minimalism to create disjointed jazz that he balanced out with deep house production. It's a unique, freeform style that well-trained and experienced ears like Parrish's would be drawn to.
On his latest record, the drummer, bassist and cello player indulges in an entirely different percussive mood. Whereas that split EP from 2017 was energetic, this two-track release features stripped-back arrangement and meandering riffs that seem to contract and expand at every turn. "Reflecting Cancer Moon'' is a dubby delight with pitter-patter drums that feels like a spartan take of Basic Channel's "Octagon." De'Angelo could have easily gone ham on the drums, speeding up the pace for an intense climax but he opts for restrained control, letting the mystical magic of long loops take the spotlight instead. "Can't Go Askin'' shares that same elegant simplicity. This is a melodic deep house cut with twinkling keys glistening against interlocking drums that bring to mind the likes of Shinichi Atobe and musclecars.
De'Angelo takes his time on both tracks, pushing well past ten minutes on both so the spiritual nature of his calm rhythms can really take effect. As the inaugural release on his newly-minted label, MayBee Hill EP sets a high bar for exquisitely crafted hybrids of jazz, dub, house and spiritual techno.
Tracklist01. Can't Go Askin'
02. Reflecting Cancer Moon