Lobster Theremin’s Distant Hawaii imprint is a label that has, since 2015, stayed busy championing music that more or less fits within the sonic pallet implied by its name–wistful, nostalgic house that evokes far-off places and warm memory. On their latest release, Melbourne DJ and Bizarro-affiliate Prequel–himself a native of like-minded imprints like Rhythm Section and Local Talk–puts his own woozy stamp on the DH aesthetic with the Without You EP.
[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/premiere-prequel-and-though-its-been-too-long/” /]
While opener “The Song I Said I’d Make For You” impresses with a collection of swirling pads and filtered Philadelphia horns recalling Chaos In The CBD’s “Midnight In Peckham”, the EP’s standout comes, in our minds, in the form of A2 track “And Though It’s Been Too Long”. The piece holds merit for its employment of deep, jazzy chord work that modulates between a central piano sound and a more subterranean rhodes sound on the breakdowns; but where “And Though…” sets itself apart is via its percussive arrangement. A low-slung kick partners with shuffling hats in the opening moments, before cracking, jittery snares fall in arrhythmic time in the lead-up to our first breakdown. When the track hits it’s 2:02 mark, it’s not hard to imagine early-morning dancefloors gaining new life with Prequel’s restrained introduction of light, particulate-thin tambourines, which flit softly around the stereo field like insects in summer air. Make sure to check out–and pre-order–the rest of this fabulous EP here.
Dylan
