- Brooklyn's Jason Letkiewicz is a traditionalist. Encountered out of context, virtually any of his projects could be mistaken for decades-old tracks left moldering on basement tapes. As Alan Hurst, he records droning coldwave; his Rhythm Based Lovers makes twinkling electronic funk with a New York-via-Miami pedigree; as Steve Summers, he dedicates himself to analog house tracks rooted in Chicago and New York/New Jersey. "In the Mode for Love," despite the title, is an ominous, nail-bitten jam that takes after Bam Bam's "Where's Your Child." It's lo-fi as fuck, caked in grit and greasy flangers, and with a down-pitched growl that chills to the bone.
It's also the darkest thing on the record, different enough from the other three tracks to be the work of an entirely different producer. (Maybe it's time for Letkiewicz to add another alias to his growing list.) "Different Paths" is trim and steppy, with heavy vibrato chords swirling around a crisp, staccato 808 groove. "Nethermead Arches" stands at a cool remove, its drums awash in white noise and its chords shaded dusty pastel. "The Sunrise in Your Eyes" might be the EP's most dramatic track; edging into Nu Groove territory, it's all about plangent synths over booming toms. There's no shortage of musicians working the same patch of ground, Sommers stands out in part for the way he blends in—his music is so faithful to the source, it's almost uncanny. Yet there's enough life in the details—in the warble of a synth lead, or the slap-back delay on a low tom—to transcend mere pastiche.
TracklistA1 In the Mode for Love
A2 Different Paths
B1 Nethermead Arches
B2 Sunrise in Your Eyes