Brandishing what could probably be several thousand light-years worth of outer space as the cover of the record, Yyyyyyyyyy is lost, curious, and questioning, as the title screams.
[Release page] There is a weird sort of contrast going on in Terekke, aka Brooklyn producer Matt Gardner’s image. On the one hand, he’s a rookie producer breaking into the veteran house music scene via a relatively new, but respected record label in Long Island Electrical Systems, or L.I.E.S. for short. On the other hand, the judiciously lo-fi quality of his music—tape hiss, far off vocal samples, and broken bass sounds—shows off an aged, well cured sound that portrays him as wise beyond his years. He’s young, but his sprouts of gray hair could fool you, and though he’s likely surrounded by hi-tech recording equipment all day long at his day-job as an audio synth repairman, he has a reputation for recording his sibilating house tracks to cassette tape. These conflicting tones add a depth of sound that seems to fit in perfectly with L.I.E.S. founder Ron Morelli’s vision for his label.
Following his 2011 L.I.E.S. 12″ white label debut, Damn / Pf Pf Pass, Gardner has stepped up to the plate to deliver his enigmatically titled EP, Yyyyyyyyyy. Brandishing what could probably be several thousand light-years worth of outer space as the cover of the record, Yyyyyyyyyy is lost, curious, and questioning, as the title screams. Shrouded by tape hiss and distant cries, it leaves the listener feeling as if he or she is eavesdropping on a party happening on the other side of a hotel room wall. This is precisely the sentiment that Terekke seems to be going for though, because these tracks—with their dilapidated production sounds and deep house tempos—are not necessarily built for the dance floor. Yyyyyyyyyy seems to almost fade away as you listen to it.
Yyyyyyyyyy’s opening track, “Bank 3,” begins with the most apparent percussive sounds on the record—clanging metallic hi-hats that merge with handclaps—as the track seems to struggle to stay above water. From there it decays into the overblown bassy totter of the ironically titled “Piano,” which balances reverberating rim-shots with undulating synth waves. The closing track, and shortest of the EP clocking in at five minutes and 58 seconds, “Amaze,” teases the percussive aspects back to the surface before once again diving down into the realm of droning ambience as a pained vocal sample cuts through marshy waves of bass. Yyyyyyyyyy is thus far the essential Terekke record, and an ambitious, yet appropriate release for L.I.E.S., which will only serve to strengthen their reputation of putting out solid, fringe house music.
Yyyyyyyyyy is available on L.I.E.S.. [Release page]
