- The brand spanking new Fina label, on paper at least, says that you can expect variety. What they mean, though, is variety within the deep disco house realm inhabited by its founders: Simon Morrell from London's DDD parties, Matt Long from Leeds' mono_cult parties and Ralph Lawson from 20:20 Vision. This EP from multiple pie-fingered Helsinkian Roberto Rodriguez runs the gamut, but has a foundation of chunk and quality. Heavy, lumbering basslines are combined with rough, stomping drums, and there's a classic disco vibe that holds clout. Airy gospel choruses feature, alongside a multitude of analogue synth lines, pianos and even funk guitars.
What elevates it, though, is an easygoing weirdness: not overt, but very present. It's a mutation through aggressive compression and liberal washes of effects. In "I Keep Thinking of You," for example, the solo vocalist's voice has spasmodic inflections and is surrealized by whipped cream delay. The B sides are smoother and fuzzily tranquilizing, but the effect is most pronounced on "I Got." It's the A-side, and the peak time choice (the EP's title and chartings show more popular affinity toward "Thinking," however). A bunch of influences—'70s funk, '80s synths—are whirled together, and you're drawn into the vortex with no choice but to party like it's 1979.
Tracklist A I Got
B1 I Keep Thinking Of You
B2 Fall Night