Everything about this zero-sum EP radiates talent, from the grooves, to the effortlessness of the transitions, to the bangers, it’s really impressive.
Everything about the zero-sum EP radiates talent
Relativity Lounge’s zero-sum EP is some of the best club oriented electronics you may catch this year, in record form, that is. The material presented in this brief batch of tracks is really impressive, mainly because of how smoothly each track plays; there is definitely some great DJ talent behind these tunes, because the way they all seamlessly shift into a completely different sound yet they do so incredibly fluidly is really impressive. It’s as if Relativity Lounge (aka Jack Jamison) knew how to always keep momentum, not just within the same song, but as if he had to keep the dance floor alive by often drifting into a new territory, making it seem like it’s actually a new track playing.
The continuity found within this EP is great, there’s such a great flow to these pieces that is kind of hard to pin down, as their smoothness is juxtaposed to how often they change plans. It’s up to Relativity Lounge to make that work though, as each transition into a totally new movement happens to be pretty much flawless; it’s also kind of mind blowing how often said transitions happen, it’s as if this guy was pulling out a new refrain out of his hat every 30 seconds, it’s insane! Each new element that rises in the mix hits so damn hard because it is a new ear-worm, a new groove, or a vocal chop, and all just work so damn well because of how good they are.
There really isn’t much of a play on contrasts here, it’s not that these new additions catch you by surprise and thus work because of how odd of a cocktail the song ends up being, they just work because of how great they all happen to be. Not to mention that pacing is also what helps them succeed so much, because there’s times where a clear direction is established, maybe some vocals slowly fading in or a bit of break, so you can expect what will follow up next; other times, the tracks just carelessly dive into new territory, and again it’s not like they just come out of the blue with some crazy switch-up, they simply take a completely different direction to which you’re lead by great transitioning. There’s nothing really sudden here, Relativity Lounge always keeps some underlying elements in common between these seemingly different sections, creating a smooth continuous mix within the track itself, one that you’d die to hear in the club, as momentum just oozes out of these pieces.
So far, so great. Well, pretty much everything about this EP excels, if I’m being honest. Another point of strength lies in the diversity of the music, which you could just summarize as UK bass, but sometimes Relativity Lounge really latches onto specific grooves; there’s thumping kicks all over this record, but very often you’ll catch proper breakbeats and garage grooves, as well as some hints of techno—I would like to say that it’s a colorful mix, but the music goes too hard to call it colorful, really. This merge of various styles happens, yet again, seamlessly, because each groove has its own part dedicated to it, they’re not fighting simultaneously to see which one shines louder in the mix.
The music also goes hard, mainly thanks to how good the low end sounds. It’s never excessively heavy, but it is satisfying and clean enough for it to be as present as it is in most tunes. A lack of excess is very much appreciated, because you either have the best sounding kicks there can be, or you might as well not exaggerate with them.
The tracks themselves are truly what makes this EP so good, as the way they’re constantly moving keeps me engaged from start to finish. The opener “greuv” is my favorite, but that’s not to shun the other great tracks that follow. Its first minute has a futuristic and fluid dub atmosphere, but that atmosphere is maintained even as the track becomes an absolute banger. There’s nothing explosive or hard in this piece, as there often is in others, because its true strength comes from the spectacular grooves that develop throughout. The motif with the echoey toms is fantastic, my favorite part of the whole EP, it is so incredibly catchy and opens up the piece so effectively after the mellow introduction. Layers of percussion get added, until you get into a fully realized techno groove that also draws from some really snappy woodblocks and sharp claps, there’s such a wide range of percussion that I just can’t not fall in love with. The last two minutes of this track flow into a more UK bass type of sound, with pitched up chopped vocals and an emphasis on heavier and far less tonal percussion, though grooves are still strong and kicking.
The following “hippodrome” is also one of the many highlights, sounding like an IDM tune you’d surprisingly actually want to dance to. It does go into club territory later on, getting especially skeletal in the middle, leaving no more than a dizzying groove and some alien vocal samples. Again, the variety in the drums is so great, it’s as if Relativity Lounge knew what specific drum sound to pull from the library in order to fit the groove he’s got in mind; in the beginning of the piece, everything’s really smooth, while later on when it gets a little dark, super sharp hi-hats and clicky drums, which very much fit with the minimal approach. As other tracks do, “hippodrome” goes back to its roots at its end, reminding you that it is indeed the same track.
Unnerving grooves ::
Then comes “zero-sum,” another great number. Tribal grooves infest this piece, and to match there’s a bit of a spooky and dark atmosphere. The use of marimbas as the tune’s lead hook is great, because they’re not utilized as an actual hook, rather they come in as the first truly tonal component of the track, making them stick out immensely from the very dry and unnerving grooves. They’re instantly chilling, but become even more so when they’re isolated from the maddening rhythms, around the halfway point. The track then decides to develop a breakbeat groove and expand upon it with some really polished arpeggiated synth leads, veering away completely from what it originally was, yet still maintaining those marimbas to tie everything together neatly. I’m always impressed at how this EP just decides to take you for a walk and always managed to bring you back home, in the smoothest way one could do so.
The last three tracks also happen to be all bangers, not as nasty as “zero-sum” may be, but still pretty insane. “svelte” has the most cheerful groove of the record, as well as some frisky acid squelches that contribute to making this the most fun track of the six; of course, it also shifts into a completely different second half, and said second half works wonders too. “dusktop” is rather straightforward instead, maybe the track with the most basic grooves and progression, but it’s an unsurprising winner too, as the refrains crafted out of vocal samples are the best on the EP and make this one of the catchiest tracks. “fckthat” was initially my least favorite, but it warmed up on me, as it’s rather intense; the spastic glitches that act as a transition into the second half of the song are really bright, they sound like pulling really tight plastic wraps, while the rest of the piece is pretty adventurous, transitioning far more abruptly than any other track and thus always remaining interesting, even if rarely mind-blowing—still bangs though.
Everything about the zero-sum EP radiates talent, from the grooves, to the effortlessness of the transitions, to the bangers, it’s really impressive.
The sheer amount of diversity presented here and how all of it succeeds is something that leads me to think Relativity Lounge knows what he’s doing, and he’s doing it far better than most too. At their core, these tunes just bang really hard, but if you wanted to get nerdy about them, you very much could, considering the amount of tiny details and fantastic structuring. The smoothness of this work would lead you to think it really is effortless, but it’s the exact opposite, this is very much display of talent, and someone who’s practiced a lot before getting to this level of nonchalantly assmebled pieces.
If I were near Chicago, I’d keep an eye out for some events whose line-ups state Relativity Lounge, because I’m sure they’re not to miss!
zero-sum is available on Satellite Trax (a new slub-centric sub-label of Satellite Era). [Bandcamp]
