[R&S Records]

If one had to boil dance music down to two sounds, there’s little doubt they would be drums and synths. The steady 4/4 that forms the backbone of most dance tracks is pretty well established, while the winding, squiggling, arpeggiated melodies are one of the trickiest things to nail. In the hands of a beginner, there is a tendency towards aggravation and overly simplistic loops. Under the guidance of a modern acid maestro like Blawan, however, the synths hypnotically flick in and around manic beats from this trained drummer. After debuting last year on the Hessle Audio, Blawan moves to stalwart Belgian label R&S Records for the Bohla EP.

The title track features highly fractured percussion like some unholy resurgence of broken beat, but the endless coiling of the melody is straight out of classic acid house tracks by Phuture and Lil’ Louis. Blawan’s experience as a drummer is most apparent on “Kaz,” with kinetic snares and rumbling kicks that match up perfectly behind the playful melody interspersed throughout the track. It’s an incredibly fun tune that inspires feet stomping abandon and sounds great coming from thunderous bass bins. The vaguely tribal “Lavender” closes out the EP with a veritable mountain of rhythm and minor key harmonics for a slightly more ominous feel than the rest of the release. Often there is a sense of overblown silliness in acid house, but Blawan tempers that with dynamic drums and focused synths, affirming the adage that “everything old is new again.”