- dOP are French newcomers, but you should think Nôze rather than Justice in terms of what that Frenchness signifies. The references here are Matthew Herbert, Todd Edwards and even, incongruously, Dubtribe Sound System.
This EP is a real mixed bag, but one with a lot of good stuff in it. ‘Foly’ is the one that makes me think of Dubtribe, and that’s purely because it uses a dramatic ethnic vocal reminiscent of ‘Equitoreal’. It’s solid tribal-tinged deep house in the classic vein, but with enough of a trippy, skippy edge to it to feel modern. Robag Wruhme, predictably, amplifies the trip and the skip on his remix to turn it into something slightly unclassifiable, but definitely brilliant—this could really be a signature piece for a lot of DJs.
‘Cum With Me’ is a bumpy, playful number with clicky garage beats and lovely little horn riffs that make it sound like a pre-school version of ‘Gabrielle’ (that’s a compliment). dOP had a remix on Noze’s ‘Remember Love’ last year, and if you like ‘Remember Love’ you’ll probably like this. This tune really warms your heart, and reminds you why it’s important for dance music to have a sense of fun (while maintaining a sense of groove, of course).
The ‘mixed’ bit of the bag is the final two tracks ‘God Bless The Child’ and ‘Zero Zero’. ‘God Bless The Child’ is close to being an accapella, but nowhere near making sense, so while it’s not boring, it’s also probably not something you’d ever listen to. ‘Zero Zero’ shows the same bag of influences as the rest of the EP– Herbert-ish sound design, deep house melodies and an irreverent attitude, but it’s just a little less distinctive than ‘Foly’ and ‘Cum With Me’.
Overall this is a great release because every track is offering something a little new and fresh. Not everything succeeds, but the ambition and the ideas are there. These guys show a lot of promise, and I look forward to their album later this year.
TracklistA1 Foly
A2 Foly (Robag Wruhme 'B-Schnitte' Remix)
B1 Cum With Me
B2 Zero Zero
B3 God Bless The Child