Both of these tracks are good, but really, this release is all about the title track. Innovative, weird, intense, interesting and with such a good palate of sounds—especially the bass!
[Release page] The first release from new London label Nineteen89 hits the right buttons. This two track release is intriguing to say the least. Actually, it’s a beast! Track one is the title track by Rumah and Progression, and I don’t really know how one might classify this music; it has a sort of Garage type flavour to the intro, with the classic pitched up female vocal cuts, synth stabs, swirls and atmosphere type stuff going on, but when it drops it’s something else entirely. A disjointed stuttering rhythm that uses the full body of the track to repeatedly shudder the listener battering-ram like into an uncomfortable groove. Uncomfortable is the wrong word actually, it’s more like unexpected I suppose. You get pretty used to how dance tracks are put together, so when something comes along that is different from the majority, displays a bit of unique-ness or whatever, it comes as a bit of a surprise. This track certainly does that. The pure quality of the bass sound is good enough to pin a track together by itself, but it’s that weird thudding rhythmic vibe that puts it out on its own. It reminds me a little of some of the techno stuff I used to stay up all night listening to through the early—mid nineties, in terms of the sound palate at least. Robotic is possibly the closest I can get to describing it, futuristic robots being manufactured in some robot factory by other robots terminator style. Yeah? Know what I mean? Of course you do. There’s probably a completely mechanised iron foundry somewhere in there too.
Track two (“E1”) is a bit more straight forward. This one is produced by Rumah on his own (rather then with Progression), and is closer to the bulk of his other work—i.e. deep, dark and techno. An acid infused tech track that goes to some fairly dark territories with arpping synth lines trailing in its wake. Again, I keep thinking of futuristic robots preparing for war. It’s the sounds I think, or maybe I just have the damn things on my mind from the first track. “E1” is a less intense affair then “Chance Meeting,” which might suite some, although brooding and dark should definitely be used in conjunction with that last statement. Weird vocal cuts juxtaposed with those acid squelchy intimidating arpeggios make an odd combination, but it all holds together pretty well.
Both of these tracks are good, but really, this release is all about the title track. Innovative, weird, intense, interesting and with such a good palate of sounds—especially the bass!
Chance Meeting is available on Nineteen89. [Release page]
