- This sushi-inspired record marks the return of David K to Freak n' Chic. Boul de Nerf, the producer's much-applauded EP of 2007, typified the type of narcotic minimal weirdness that first brought him to Dan Ghenacia's label, and made his tracks anthems at places like DC-10. Thus, given the often apocalyptic way in which minimal has been described in 2008, assessing the latest production from a minimal expert like David K could prove a genuine acid test on the scene.
"Yakiniku," Volume One's opener, heralds a decade-old Robbie Rivera beat; it's full-on tribal bosh with a misty vocal and driving groove to take you back to Twilo or Vinyl. Next, "Yakitori," the most understated track on the EP, leads in with a straight-up house vibe that develops somewhat schizophrenically, drifting from a fresh-sounding flute melody across the mid-section to deeper tech at the end. The two tracks actually work well in tandem, with "Yakitori" the transitional calm before the storm of "Yakiniku"'s gravity. Volume Two, meanwhile, is a deeper and more melodic affair all round. "Kobe" is throbbing 4/4 deep house perforated throughout by a magnetic tech bleep, whilst "Fugu" throws up an equally profound rhythm layered with chopped-up vocals and digital trickery.
There is no escaping the change of course David K has taken with this quality quartet, as he seeks to add a more banging and wholesome element to his previous sound. That the Parisian draws inspiration from the past to achieve this is obvious, yet the ability to modernise it—with one foot firmly on the dance floor—is the key to his particular genius. More significantly though, he is neither the first nor will he be the last to take an approach that points towards the revival of more traditional house sounds.
TracklistVolume One
A Yakiniku
B Yakitori
Volume Two
A Kobe
B Fugu