Allergy Season head honcho, Physical Therapy aka Kirk The Flirt, has joined forces with Axe On Wax’s grittier imprint, Axe Traxx, to deliver a full package of seven rave-ready stompers. The Cease and Desist EP is the first 12” from Daniel Fisher’s Kirk The Flirt alias, and with the calibre of early support it boasts (Project Pablo, Fabio Monesi, xxxy, The Black Madonna, Pepe, Ethyl, Baltra) we’re crossing our fingers that it won’t be the last. Axe Traxx are well established purveyors of dancefloor fire. Previous hosts to the likes of Mall Grab, DJ Aakmael and Marlon Hoffstadt, the London based label have curated an enviable discography of unapologetically raw break-infused house. Kirk the Flirt has done an impressive job of keeping the fire burning, delivering an EP built for the party, one that is equally as nostalgic for the raves of the 90’s as it is excited by those of tomorrow.
Cease and Desist is an EP of impressive stylistic breadth– a testament to self-described “omnivore” Daniel Fisher and the colourful productions of his many personas. On the A-side, Kirk the Flirt reminds us of the effective simplicity of house music, with four feel-good club bangers. The music is stripped back and simple, but not at all reserved. It is music you can get silly to, without the constraints of a composition that feels too clean or too tight. In all, it proves yet again that a good beat, infectious vocals, and a few well-timed breaks are more than enough to tug on the heartstrings of crowds in both house parties and festivals alike.
Our premiere today is the hidden gem of the EP, sitting on the B side among a playful set of edits of the aptly named ‘Good Vibrations’. The B3, Good Vibrations (Physical Therapy Mini Dub), offers a deeper, more haze-dipped summer sound; the type of dubby house that’s sweeping the scene at the moment for all the right reasons. Physical Therapy’s slinky groove has a simple elegance to it: snatches of brushed snares, gleaming pads and dubby stabs draped nonchalantly over a 4/4 kick. This combination of production quality and emotional content is the perfect way to round off the EP with a wave of euphoria – one that we wish we could ride for longer.
You can get your hands on this scorcher digitally and on hot black wax from May 14. Pre-order it from Bandcamp now.
Lily
