Artist: Agaric
Title: Who Made Up The Rules
Label: Ovum
Release Date: March 7th 2011
Agaric's no stranger to the world of bleeps and beats. That's pretty obvious when you consider over 100 vinyl releases, and the We Are label are already part of his story.
Ovum shouldn't need much of an introduction either. But just in case let's recap with this simple summary. Josh Wink and King Britt set the imprint up, circa 1994. Since then it's become slang for tough goodness.
So, combine all those elements and what do you get? Well, a release that's the talk of techno town no less. And, for the most part, residents won't be disappointed. Though it should be noted things might not be found in exactly the same place people could be expecting.
The producer is, after all, a Swede responsible for creating noises typical of his homeland, with work out on the likes of Drumcode and Truesoul. Then there's his harder Headroom side project, and it's already obvious this release was likely to have some US influences.
But this isn't an extended collection of drummy strobe-lit cuts. Nor is it purely saturated in Philadelphian filth. In fact those after purely slamming or funk-filled styles might be left wanting, although it's not like there isn't plenty for the hips. And turning up the volume shows the tribalistic percussion and heavy bass of tracks like Nahua or Shot By Light to be bombs ready to drop.
Similar vibes play out on No Way I Know I Feel too, as synths and alarms, white noise crescendos and deep, near-whispered vocals create a building wall of sound. Think a down-pitched Seth Troxler meeting Ame in the middle of a sweaty, Swedish basement. It might be closer to Beyer's end of the spectrum than anything else on here, but there's a greater air of mystery that becomes inescapable elsewhere.
Take Metro's warm, inviting 2am baritone. It's not a world away from any of the aforementioned, but this time the party people are heads down adventurers. Enter a distorted lyrical hook, and the result would be track of the album, if it weren't for the even-more infectious title number. Chunky, stepping kicks whip out a seemingly light-hearted rhythm, before a reverb-packed low end and filtered chorus tie together a stripped, as oppose to minimal druggy arrangement. Like everything else on here, it reeks of maturity equal to the sum of its parts, at once perfectly designed for home listening and club systems.
