[Studio r°]

The role of an A&R (artist and repertoire) person isn’t necessarily as simple as just finding good music and signing it. Even the tiniest labels need to promote themselves with the right artists and arrange various tracks into coherent records. Look no further than Studio r°’s inaugural 12″: it ticks all these boxes. Up until now, the Berlin-based website has made its name hosting videos of performing DJs. It’s kind of like the Boiler Room except not live-streamed. And without the crowd. Or an MC. Whatever. With 001, Studio r°’s first foray into releasing music, it’ll soon be known for more. Not only has the label sourced three highly complementary tracks from relatively obscure artists, it’s astutely signed Fred P, a name which will encourage more people to test the record upfront. That’s why I looked into it, anyway.

Eric Cloutier, “Adytum” (excerpt)

Funnily enough, Fred P’s “Moving Systems” isn’t even close to being the most interesting thing here. Tickled by the barest wisps of melody, it cruises along in the type of gentle stasis he always seems to nail. It gets the job done, but compared to the sunlit glassiness of Eric Cloutier’s “Adytum” and its tight clap sequences, or the chugging piano house that Russian producer Korablove weaves with “SeaSon,” it feels quite plain. That’s not because “Moving Systems” is crap; the other tracks are just quite good. Piano house is a pretty boring prospect these days, for instance, but Korablove’s thoughtful percussion and gentle come-up breathe new life into the template. And everything about “Adytum” is likeable. It’s hard to believe it’s Cloutier’s first release, actually. The remaining cut, “Jan4Bg,” sees Anton Kubikov, another Russian, grafting lonesome vocals onto a patchwork of drums and gauzy melody. Like the rest of the record, its housey bounce will ensure 001 stays in DJ bags for some time. Long enough that people will start wishing Studio r° would deliver a new record, in fact. I’m halfway there already.