Organic dance-floor fire comes courtesy of Apparel Music and KX9000
Acid lines and jazzy refrains combine in this handsomely-attired hybrid
Words by Rocco Universal
Apparel Music continue their noble quest to nourish our ears and souls with their latest offering, KX9000's 'Plaisance Food EP'. Hot on the heels of label boss Kisk's excellent and suitably titled 'Jazzyness' album, here they continue to offer a glimpse of life through their organic house-tinted lens – serving up a selection of tunes that are as suited to nourishing the soul as moving one's feet.
Though London-based, the Apparel crew have been busily scouting for talent via the French underground, understandably so considering what fertile ground this has long proven itself to be. This time out, they present work from DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist, KX9000, following on from his previous releases on labels including Pont Neuf and Better Listen. The result is a warm and varied EP of cuts which combine cleverly-crafted musicianship with an aptitude for groove, and just enough deviance to satisfy grubby sensibilities.
The low-slung feel of opening track 'Millenium Civic' is a gentle intro to proceedings. Emotive chords evolve under delicate top-lines as synth stabs and motifs glide in and out to create a lucid dream state. 'Unusual Lines' is one of the highlights, combining atmospheric chords, an urgent tempo, and – most importantly – a bastard acid line to full heads-down dance effect. Vocal chops, discrete percussion and hidden layers add energy and mystery in equal measure, and the purposeful spoken word sample completes the sonic landscape. Paul Cut's remix of 'Unusual Lines' endows the music with something of a classic US deep house feel, dare I say shades of Boo Williams or Glenn Underground here as the sub-bass powers over snappy beats and jazzy vibes solos.
I've opted to play you Ground Plane Aerial's remix of 'Millenium Civic'. While locked down there has understandably been a tendency to gravitate toward gentle tempos and horizontal sonic-soothing, so after pushing play on this one the allegro rhythm jumped out at me like some kind of charging disco rhinoceros. Utilising the original instrumentation while beefing things up quite considerably, GPA's version is effectively dance-floor dynamite. The live drums, fills and drops give the track a highly-charged feel, while the dramatic arrangement and musical flourishes add fuel to the fire. The roof is well and truly off when the freaky lead synths eventually pop in, leading to uniform fist-pumping and pogo dancing.*
*I can confirm this with more than a degree of certainty, the clubs are (for now) open in these ends, and both the 'Millenium Civic' remix and 'Unusual Lines' have been thoroughly road-tested and are certifiably stunning played loud to a crowd.
KX9000 'Plaisance Food EP' is out now on Apparel Music. You can listen and buy it here
