Looseness reigns, melody flows, cascading with abject freedom. Tangents form, and reform, but without breaking down into outright lunacy.
In my younger years I was better at trawling the internet for MP3 artists. But, as the years melted to age the allure and tactility of vinyl overcame TCP/IP. Yet there is a wealth of musicians out there, floating on the cloud, and this treasure trove of talent can easily be tapped by the brave label. 030303 have taken that leap of faith before, FAH for example, and are once again with Rolando Simmons.
Needle drop. Private grin. Always a good start. This debutant comes at Acid from an Analord angle. Knots of knob tweak are bent and reshaped, softer keys and terse drums propping up fracturing machine squeal for “Marriage Acid.” There’s a playfulness to the EP, the weirded-out high chords of “Total Annihilation” or the sidestepping lightness of “Montignac.” The structures of House and Techno are tweaked, turned and remoulded. 4/4 beats act as fertile ground for analogue ivy to grow. Synthesizer sunshine illuminates the 12”, a cheerful brightness basks in pieces such as “Dim.” The final squirms come with “Garden Diodes,” electrical reverb speeding on trimmed toms.
Looseness reigns, melody flows, cascading with abject freedom. Tangents form, and reform, but without breaking down into outright lunacy. Like many of the New Wave of Acid experimenters Simmons has a carefree and innovative interpretation of the TB303 sound, one which is both refreshing and rewarding.
Rolando Simmons EP is available on 030303.
