Henrik Jonsson and Joel Alter are a relatively new group, but listening to their work you might get the impression they’ve been at this a long time. That’s in part because they’ve used a lot of classic synths and drum machines; but also because their music has a future classic quality about it, the sense that all their careful drum machine tuning, timbre selection, arranging and patient writing has paid off in a way that will feel relevant for years to come. Their debut album, Mod, offers this in spades, and this week’s download from that LP encapsulates this sense. “Dvarg” is a lesson in delayed gratification, opening with three minutes of a minutely manipulated single tone as the percussion around it twinkles. A vocal attests that “I’ll play first and I’ll tell you about it later — maybe,” further ramping up the anticipation of Jonsson/Alter’s next move. So when the shimmering pads finally slide in there’s a palpable sense of relief, a reward for seeing where these unwavering pitches were leading. This is house music for the patient, house music that’s meant to be absorbed over time rather than heard and immediately forgotten. And we’re very grateful to Jonsson, Alter, and their label Kontra-Musik for making this track available for free.
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