Tendts :: It’s Everything (Lower Parts)

Hailed in the pressed release as “brothers that make music you can dance to, or not,” this pair have managed to create an invigorating LP, one brimming with interesting ideas and an overarching sense of fun. There’s enough time given over to the black t-shirted techno brigade, what about giving some over to this multi-colored duo?

After half a decade, Athens’ Lower Parts is returning to where it all began. The imprint was born with an EP of abstract experimentation and ambient forms from homegrown talent Tendts. The brothers Chistos and Otis Papadakis have continued their musical journey with two albums on Fair Weather Friends and the siblings return to the imprint they’ve inaugurated, this time with quite a different sound.

It’s Everything is an apt title for this six tracker. What style is it? Well, “it’s” a bit of “everything.” Disco, the cosmic brand. House, definitely in the percussion. Piano House, some of that for sure. Rock, big chords echoing some arena moments.

Needle drop will introduce you to “Who Are The Pleiadians.” The press notes help here, The Pleiadians being “dimension traversing Nordic aliens.” That aside, what you will meet is a track with a very sunny disposition. A Chicago groove is founded from the get-go, around which laser shots are fired, vocals are pinged with beats keeping your feet on terra firma. “Gold Silk” is a peculiarly gentle piece. Keys cascade before fading into a xylophonic forest. Yet, despite its subtle nature the track also has brash guitar strings and some scissored samples. Palmbomen II, of Pinkman and 1080p, has been set the task of putting his own spin on “Gold Silk” and does a bang up job. The brightness of the original is buffed, dampened by distortion, with other elements sheered away to let the astral moods sail.

The 12” really is a lucky dip, each piece bearing little correlation to the last. Nevertheless, there are some similarities. The Papadakis brothers seek out a base camp, a bassline or melody, from which to explore. “Limbo” sets out with a bending acid guide before branching out into violin strings and further into the jungle of choice. “Woo” and “Don’t Be Silly” are cut from totally different clothes, the former with its cowbells and dusty tones having little relation to the tribal funk of the latter.

It’s Everything is one of those releases that will divide opinion. The record’s magpie approach, cherry-picking from a glut of genres and styles, might not sit well with pedants. But does that matter? Hailed in the pressed release as “brothers that make music you can dance to, or not,” this pair have managed to create an invigorating LP, one brimming with interesting ideas and an overarching sense of fun. There’s enough time given over to the black t-shirted techno brigade, what about giving some over to this multi-colored duo?

It’s Everything is available on Lower Parts.