- Gel Abril’s sophomore effort on Shlomi Aber’s Be As One imprint sees him fly solo without the safety net of any remixes. He’s done this before, though, on his well-received Underground Bullshit 12-inch on Ovum, but unfortunately, this double A-side doesn’t quite match the quality of that release.
‘200 Grams’ hits you quickly with an excellent rolling bassline, custom made for stupid-face pulling and fist pumping, but the (all too familiar) staccato twang melody that follows is a disappointment, looping and looping and looping and looping and loo…*smack* (Sorry, my CTRL + V got stuck) without much variation.
On the flip, ‘Your Face Is a Mess’ is a druggy houser centred around a club-themed monologue, similar to Peace Division’s ‘Blacklight Sleaze’ or Tejada’s ‘Sweat On The Walls’. Pitched at around 120bpm, it’s slow and heavy, with enough clipped horns and twinkles to keep it moderately interesting past the five-minute mark.
Overall, this EP feels like a couple of throwaway tracks packaged to ride the wave of previous successes. While both sides are usable, they aren’t mind-blowing either. But never fear—Be As One is preparing a remix package of ‘Your Face Is A Mess’ with Deetron and Mark Broom, which look guaranteed to make up for it.
TracklistA 200 Grams
B Your Face Is A Mess