- It's definitely been written before, but the most important thing to keep in mind when approaching Dave Huismans's material as A Made Up Sound is its unpredictable nature. His releases usually end up dipping into several genres within the span of a few tracks, and Sun Touch is no different; its three tracks are among his most outré "shortcuts."
The two entirely new tracks, "Sun Touch" and "Drain," are melodically sparse: The former employs some subtle synth tones throughout with an acid line developing about halfway through, while the latter is drenched in ominous drones. Without Huismans's exceptional beat-programming prowess, this kind of minimalism could be a problem, but he's proven himself to be a master at making the most broken structures compelling. The punchy off-kilter sensibility that marks both "Sun Touch" and "Drain" is a different beast entirely from the current vogue of vaguely tropical funky-not-funky, dubstep-not-dubstep; well-swung, yes, but also serendipitous, the sound of capitalizing on accidents. Sometimes I think about recording my radiator when it makes this funky clicking noise (which is also responsible for bothering anyone who sleeps in my living room), and I wonder if Huismans is inspired by naturally-occurring mechanical rhythms like it; bizarre and even grating at first, but eventually loose and hypnotic.
The EP closes with "Untitled (Original Shortcut)," an early take of "Love in Outer Space," one of the highlights from last year's Unbalance album under the 2562 moniker. Shorter, rougher and wobblier, it's an interesting sketch to compare with its spacious, refined descendent.
Tracklist A1 Sun Touch
B1 Drain
B2 Untitled (Original Shortcut)