Although Interkosmos owes a great deal to the sounds of Chicago and to the more recent aggression of Jak, there is also something else happening with this 12”. Semsei is not afraid to let sounds slip into the red and within this shattering of snares, within this blurring of bass, the Budapest artist sews angle and ideas like few others.
It’s taken a long time for a record label from the island of Ireland to really make an impact on the electronic music scene. There have been some ,and not forgetting the seminal D1, but in comparison to our European neighbors the Emerald Isle has always lagged behind. Not to jinx a streak, Computer Controlled from Belfast has been doing the rounds and, gone toe to toe and come out with clever pounding tracks and music for fancy footwork. With boss Nez at the helm the imprint from Northern Ireland has managed to source established talent while selecting new exciting artists for its roster. Norwell, the most productive pseudonym of Balázs Semsei, is the latest signed up for an EP. The Budapest artist, who features in a cracking upcoming mix from a Madrid Dj for WE FORFEIT, has been displaying his audio wares on Dalmata Daniel, New Flesh and more with two fingers up and a fair bit of flair.
A robust kick drum is soon meet by reverberating keys and chalky claps in “Vertikal 1.” The track is brimming with a condensed energy, Semsei cherrypicking from several styles to create a piece of dancefloor dynamite. “Solar Wind”, with its classical house rhythm patterns, is built of the same beastly proportions, chords being bent and broken before being twisted into ever more contorted forms. The five tracks on offer are all of a generous length, one of the shortest being the daring and different “Coronas-I”, a piece of more than six minutes that grooves on muted beats and spiking synthlines. “Soyuz 36” is a more understated affair. Keys that have all the finery of electro are bullied by musty drum rolls before elbows of angular bass make their presence known. Norwell isn’t afraid of doling out some of the sterner stuff and one of the sternest on offer is “Luna 2.” Toms and hi-hats are dosed in a cocktail of acid echo and distortion before delicate notes waft over the haze and heat.
Although Interkosmos owes a great deal to the sounds of Chicago and to the more recent aggression of Jak, there is also something else happening with this 12”. Semsei is not afraid to let sounds slip into the red and within this shattering of snares, within this blurring of bass, the Budapest artist sews angle and ideas like few others. A release guaranteed to be a record bag fixture for many months to come.
Interkosmos is available on Computer Controlled.
