Delano Smith, Sunrise EP

[Third Ear Recordings]


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Those who insist on being bitter when techno journalism continues to focus on Detroit might as well complain historians of impressionist painting overemphasize Paris, or that fans of martial arts films give too much credit to China. With locally known but globally unsung veteran producers like Patrice Scott, Mike Huckaby, Scott Grooves, and now Delano Smith continuing to release some of the best tracks of recent memory, it’s just an unavoidable subject. So don’t be surprised to hear a voice point out on “Something for Myself,” the lead track from the “Sunrise EP,” that Smith is “from Detroit, from Detroit, from Detroit.” When he adds that “there’s so many sounds; it’s limitless,” it doesn’t just apply to his hometown’s cultural heritage — he might as well be talking about this record.

Smith’s oeuvre is full of grooves that manage to simultaneously soothe and invigorate, and “Sunrise EP” is no different. “Something for Myself” layers its vocals over a two-note bass line that sounds different with just about every repetition — funky one moment, melancholy the next. “Cosmos Revisited” follows an abrasive, modulating synth line across celestial chords and a seismic bass line. It’s as likely to make you contemplate the vastness of the universe as it is to make you dance, but no one said you can’t do both at once. The darkly melodic “Synergy” is something like thumb piano house, while the nearly overwhelming “Trans” floods your eardrums with an infusion of harmonic textures. Reminiscent of Juan Atkins’ most introspective productions, with the meticulous simplicity of Robert Hood’s minimalism, these tracks make you feel like a dance floor has just lifted off the ground and taken you with it.

Andrey  on February 1, 2009 at 11:07 PM

Excellent! Both the record and the review!

petepete  on February 2, 2009 at 2:00 AM

super record, can’t get enough of it.

peder  on February 2, 2009 at 4:55 AM

coincidentally this arrived on my doormat this morning. great record, and despite the flood of records mentioning “detroit” in the last year (don williams, carsten jost/klemann, morgan geist, the new even tuell on workshop), “something for myself” still manages to sound incredibly fresh

Sam  on February 2, 2009 at 10:31 AM

Diggin’ it!

steofan  on February 2, 2009 at 3:05 PM

great review and great record.
agreed w/ the overused, yet effective ‘Detroit’ sample on “Something…”. also love “Synergy” for a quick blast of groove.

Pierre-Nicolas  on February 3, 2009 at 10:57 AM

Too much trancey for me. I have hesitated two times between two months, before finally not buying it. Maybe if it was a german new producer, it wouldn’t have the same impact… I don’t know.

b0b  on February 4, 2009 at 12:43 PM

Delano Smith too trancey…wow! You mean not mnml enough maybe ?

Trackbacks

Little White Earbuds January Charts - Little White Earbuds  on June 2, 2009 at 10:27 AM

[…] Moody, “Hello 2morrow” [KDJ] 03. Scott Grooves, “Coco Brown” [Clone] 04. Delano Smith, “Cosmos Revisited” [Third Ear Recordings] 05. DJ Bone, “The Vibe” [Subject Detroit] 06. Theo Parrish, […]

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