Album of the Week: Vynal K, No Rabbitz - Studio Nine EP
After having the Audiophile guys on the Weekly Mix rotation at the end of last year (see: Closed Caption Guest Mix), it was already apparent that this group were setting the bar really high for releases across all of their imprints, Deep, XXL and Live. Their A&R are some of the best in the underground game and the quantity is appropriately matched with the quality. This latest EP release 'Studio Nine' is a collab from Athens based producer Vynal K and Crete born tastemaker No Rabbitz.
Album of the Week: Vynal K, No Rabbitz - Studio Nine EP
It was interesting to think about this as my choice for this week's review as I had just recently interviewed Whitney Fierce about her latest guest mix and she had a profound love for hand drums. This must have subconsciously played a part in my decision as 'Studio Nine' is littered with a cacophony of hand drums and bright percussive elements. The essence of these tracks certainly have a Mediterranean vibe to it as likely reflect some of the musical aspects that both Vynal K and No Rabbitz have absorbed as part of their culture.
Studio Nine
Every time I start playing 'Studio Nine' I find it very hard to sit still let alone collect my thoughts into a formal a review for this track. There is so much wonderful energy pouring out of this track right from the get go. A pulsating, well-crafted kick rides underneath a cleverly orchestrated grouping of hand drums, various woodblocks, shakers and very subtle hit-hats. The EQing and mixdown of these layers alone are complex but it's done really well creating a lot of movement and energy. A slow-rising electric bass guitar introduces a bouncy funk groove to the track, and really at this point no one on the dancefloor should be stationary. A wonderful vocal chorus joins in on the fun and provides that final touch to this beautiful song. It's always interesting to see synergies between music from other cultures and how they seem to all harmonize together. There's so many correlations I can draw from the rhythm alone such as afro-beat, salsa, samba, etc that truly makes music something for everyone!
The Message
While 'Studio Nine' feels like it could have been recorded in an open air dance club 'The Message' takes us more into a studio environment embodying more rigid, structured elements of production. While certainly carrying it's own identity you can still hear the careful selection of percussive elements and arrangement from the 'Studio Nine' that reflect a clear style that Vynal K and No Rabbitz are going for. A big booming kick is paired with a really grainy, phased out snare so heavily FX'd that it's practically unrecognizable as a drum element, and I really enjoy the sharpness of it. As a drone synth comes into the foreground it begins to add some brightness to the track's character before welcoming in the preaching voice of a Rastafarian presumably named Alex Tropical Storm. As the spoken word continues to a soft panning brass synth slowly builds into the foreground. There's a really nice dynamic feel between some of the staccato notes of that synth and longer stretched out chords that create really nice harmonies especially during the tracks main breakdown. An ethereal mood envelops the track during this break as a stuttering set of drum hits bring the energy back up. We're really provided with a melting pot of sounds that at the perfect moment are stripped out and we are left with the diction of our narrator and the tail of soft delayed note before jumping back into the meat of the song.
The Message (Multipass Peakpass remix)
I knew that this release really had something to when I saw that duo Multipass were getting there hands involved and threw down this super chill remix of 'The Message'. A tight looping hi kick opens up the first few bars of this rework with a djembe and handful of other hand drum elements and percussion loops join in on the fun. A series of soft risers and sweeps transition us effortlessly as current running layers are peeled back while new elements get introduced. It's not easy to hear at first but there is a really cool bass synth that is bubbling in the background that eventually get's its moment in the spotlight around 2:30 mark adding a really sultry groove to the low end. The final touch to this remix is a deep house style synth pad that echoes and pans around you as it builds in velocity and energy hitting a crescendo just after the main breakdown. Timely uses of the vocal samples intertwine really well especially during the second breakdown where we hear some superb pre-delay on the synths meshing with soft rounded percussive hits.Vynal K and No Rabbitz have had a long standing partnership in the form of their imprint Out of Home! Go to House! and have made their away around the European DJ circuit a few times over. Their appearance on Audiophile is definitely a sign that people here in the states are really welcoming back the more classic house elements into their stereos and that DJs are looking for music that has more live instrumentation characteristics (I'm not sure if any of these layers were in fact recorded live but they do seem like they could have been).Enjoy,MR PUZL