2015 and there’s only one place to go, back to Belfast. “The North” has seen an incredible surge in homegrown talent and with a knotweed like growth of local labels. I covered a number of these fledgling imprints in 2014, but one slipped beneath my radar. Born between the iconic Harland and Wolff cranes, Titanic City is the latest to come from Northern Ireland’s capital.
Martin De Brig opened the label’s doors in the Summer of 2014 with a four tracker of formidable aspect. Most readers will be well aware of the amount of House music filling record stores and I would put Morning Has Broken into that ever widening bay. But the deluge can’t dilute. A wonderful warmth permeates the entire EP. The title piece has a beautifully gentle melody, 303 reverberations worming their way through crisp percussion. The only issue on here are the unnecessary samples that tie, or drag, “Morning Has Broken” to an early 90s tradition. It is those samples that Japan’s Takeshi Kouzuki uses to good effect. Pads sit atop cymbals and toms as the Mathematics veteran builds a cheeky and cerebral spinner. Hermez rethinks “Moving Down.” Some original throb is diluted, shimmering chords and reverb to lower the lights. De Brig ends with bright dawning moods, Chicago daubed Techno. Confident, strident snares are a base for driving bars. The track echoes with the energy of Joey Beltram or early Orlando Voorn for quality close dripping with nostalgia.
The latest offering from that town on the Larne continues the exploration House rhythms. “Life on Eria” is one of the standout tracks of the EP. Steady beats form a sold scaffold, bass a kick drum become a foundation for a twirling Acid line. 303 echoes are folded and straightened, a simple sample helping to move feet for a mind-melting swirling stomp. “We Come To Rule” refuses outright to sit in any genre. Woozy keys sit upon a waterbed of snare and clap give a unique personality. But, it’s the subtle undulating bass and spiky synthlines that characterize this complex club bomb. “Erosive Soul” is a stumbling, bleary eyed late night work, twilight fading to a heady sunrise. Nick Anthony, aka Simoncino, stokes the floor fires with his take on “Oscar’s Dream.” It’s hard to compare the Italian’s remake, seeing as the original isn’t present but the L.I.E.S. man does himself proud. Toms, claps, hi-hats and lurching bass support euphoric notes for a feel good finale.
I’m a little disappointed with Belfast. Well, not really; but when I lived there it was an electronic music vacuum. It always had huge potential, but there didn’t seem to be much chance of the fuel igniting. And now, now the place is thriving and Titanic City is part of that new generation. Two wax plates of powerful electronics, playful moments countered by soulful sounds. A really impressive first year for this fledgling label. What next Belfast?
Both releases are available on Titanic City.
