A ragged rubble of broken rhythms are adopted by all involved on the 12”, each artist taking a different avenue down 90s retrospection.
It’s the hottest September Madrid has had since god knows when; hitting 40C most days. Not a great time of year to be out and about collecting post. I had to go to those courier collection points, like for FedEx or DHL. Been to one before? They’re regular shops. The idea is: instead of finding some official FedEx, or whatever, depot, your package is left in a regular shop. My local, down at the end of Calle de Huerta Castanadas, is a hardware store. I had to go to the latter the other day.
So I skipped down the road. Down a street I don’t usually venture. Baking hot. And, it was a pretty interesting journey. An assortment of people struggled through a stifling haze of heat. Shop owners out smoking. Babies crying. Old men outside drinking and arguing. Aged women huddled around benches nattering. Noise. Decay. Life.
And what has any of this got to do with Secret Rave 02? Going down this dilapidated and lively, grubby and gregarious, side street is like stepping into the world of Secret Rave. A ragged rubble of broken rhythms are adopted by all involved on the 12”, each artist taking a different avenue down 90s retrospection. Label boss G23, fresh from last year’s outing on Super Rhythm Trax, hooks up with Rivet for a bleep inspired, sample strewn work of fractured funk. Textayser grabs glowsticks and dustmasks for a totally warehouse affair, yipping vocals and all in this heartwarming throwback. Irishman Myler follows a similar angle, pushing basslines and hammering percussion with colorful clatter. Anybody Anytime takes a small sidestep, plunging the listener into a drum and bass behemoth the will leave neighbour’s banging on walls.
Walking down Calle de Huerta Castanadas is a little like walking into the past. Nostalgic shop fronts and familiar scenes interspersed with reminders of the present day, modern cars and mobile phones. That is what Secret Rave does. It mixes the romance, the energy, the fun of body jerking melodies and split snares with a touch of the contemporary; dustmasks and with a smartphone in hand.
Secret Rave 02 is available on Art-Aud.
