Painting by Murocracia

[Drumpoet Community] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3s)

Although Switzerland has been turning out quality producers and DJs for some time now, more recently it seems DJs and fans alike have been clamoring for Swiss exports like they were free chocolate bars — Serafin/Rozzo/Mountain People, Quarion, Deetron, Agnès, Ripperton and Michal Ho are a few who come to mind. Like his countrymen, DJ/producer Alex Storrer only recently garnered much attention after an eight year career spanning a hip-hop album, down-tempo tunes as Lexxodus, and a host of disco cuts and edits for the Bear Entertainment family. Now rechristened as Kawabata (not to be mistaken for Makoto Kawabata of Japanese mind-melters, Acid Mothers Temple), Storrer has found his niche with the Zürich-based Drumpoet Community for his single, “Persuasion.” To complete the Swiss circle, Serafin pops up for another “New York” styled re-interpretation.

Listen to “Persuasion” (Serafin’s Back to New York Re-Interpretation):

“Persuasion” wades into the deep end at a respectable mid-tempo, its chubby synth mumbles growing wider when plied with reverb and struck by sharp and grainy stabs. Aside from vocal samples urging dancers to “move!” Kawabata treads lightly to maintain the relaxed vibe invoked by the tune’s title and its many, many more influential predecessors. Serafin, by contrast, seems eager to start a stir with his “Back to New York Re-Interpretation.” As with his Marcel Wave remix of the same name, Serafin locks together opaque tones of slightly varying shades into a tight groove, revealing melody only as small tones bounce off its glistening hide. It’s hardly a flashy track, but Serafin seems content to sink his attention into deep details like varying hi-hat timbres, grandfather clock chimes and an acrobatic kick drum instead of easy hooks for online browsers. Not that there’s anything wrong with hooks (lord knows I love ‘em), but as the Swiss know well, sometimes it’s what you hold back that’s worth the most.