- With so much focus at the moment on the dark, underground techno emanating from Italy, it's easy to forget that the country played an important part in house music, both before and after the acid house explosion. Holland's West Coast and countless basement parties across the rest of Europe would be far poorer places without the tear-jerking melodies and pulsing basslines of Italo disco, while Italian piano house will always hold a special place in the hearts of those who raved or DJed during the early '90s.
Despite this legacy, Dublin-based Italian producer Lerosa chooses to draw inspiration from Chicago house, which was sandwiched in between these two sub-movements. Indeed, "Tanned Legs," with its dense, shuffling drums, muttered vocals and squelchy acid lines, could be an outtake from an early Trax release. Elsewhere, Lerosa proves his pedigree by teasing new shapes from the Chicago sound. "Rex" plays on the jacking rhythms and rolling percussion so beloved of early house productions. By shoehorning in beautiful jazz keys and heart-tugging strings, though, the end result sounds like a halfway house between Chicago and Detroit techno.
Similarly on "I Care," an ambient soundscape hangs in the background as Leo delivers a devastatingly simple but effective jack track. He then dispenses with the backdrop as soon as warbling chord melodies kick in. The title track, meanwhile, focuses on roughly the same approach, but the melodies are even sweeter and, coupled with the use of cowbells, hits the retro-future target with unerring accuracy.
Tracklist A1 Facade
A2 I Care
B1 Rex
B2 Tanned Legs