- Mark August continues the Dutch takeover of Connaisseur Records with his debut 12” for the label, albeit after contributing a track to their Grand Cru compilation which was released last month. With releases on Mezzotinto and strong support for his Innervisions release, he now brings a two track EP, entitled ‘Old Joy’ to another label at the peak of its powers.
The EP begins with the title track, a mammoth, melodic piece of music that sprawls over almost ten minutes, with interlocking grooves twisting and morphing to a grand and melancholy climax. It's the sort of record that might end a night, a huge epic. If it has any fault it's that it pushes so many buttons in terms of melody that it's not actually that propulsive or driving for dancing to. Still, with such an array of melodic flourishes and an obsessive level of attention to detail, this is a record that shouldn't be missed.
On the B side, meanwhile, ‘Just Like That’ is a more driving club track. Some may even prefer this one, it's less original perhaps but it may be more effective, with slivers of melody sprinkled over deep sub-bass tones, eventually giving way to a euphoric, trancey outro that almost sounds like something on Kompakt. It's a really workable piece of club music and nicely offsets the title track here, completing a great Connaisseur debut from Mr. August.
TracklistA. Old Joy
B. Just Like That