- The new 12-inch from Levon Vincent is a bumpy ride. That isn't to say it's a bad ride. Far from it. But now that we think we know our dub-techno-house hero, he goes ahead and shows us that he has plenty more gears from which to choose. "Medium Is the Message" is vintage Vincent with deep bass, melodies crafted from pulses and that uniquely melodic percussion of his that sounds like it could be recreated by the cast of Stomp if they were really into reverb and dub techno.
B-side softens things up a bit though, with a relatively house-y beat that recalls the moment of relief on Vincent's recent RA podcast that was Housemaster Baldwin's "Don't Lead Me." The producer lends his distinctive touch in the creeping dub chords, and the plaintive melody that pours out. It's Vincent at his most emotional. Or so I thought before I got to closer "I Owe You Everything," which is a stunning, spare track that sounds like nothing else in his recent oeuvre. Is this the man who once titled a song "Woman Is the Devil"? The one singing "I Owe You" over and over with a slight bit of autotune and/or vocoder added to his vocals? It may divide fans of his work squarely down the middle, but as a warm-up or a cool-down from a set of bruising techno, it might just be the most self-consciously beautiful track you'll hear all night.
Tracklist A The Medium Is the Message
B1 A Melody for Everyone
B2 I Owe You Everything