[Long Island Electrical Systems]

Danny Wolfers releases so much material that it’s difficult to really say what kind of phase his career is in, but it’s undeniable that for Legowelt he tends to keep the standards pretty high. That particular project seems to be in the midst of a renaissance; Sark Island Acid, his first 12″ for the L.I.E.S. label, features three of his most ambitious compositions thus far. Still, each is exemplary of what people love about Wolfers — a reverence to dance music classicism matched with an analogue mastery and a quirky, unsettling dreaminess.

“Backwood Fantasies” features a rattling rhythmic backdrop and and a typically rock-solid bass line, the languid, liquid keys meshing with an eerie vocal stab. The title track is tranquil and searching, the synths drifting over a tightly percussive base. An acidic arpeggio subtly crawls out of that initial framework, which isn’t to suggest it’s not a driving part of the song — it just takes a second to realize it’s there, front and center, because it blends so well with its surroundings. On “Sea of Nuhuhu,” fluid, slightly ominous synth patterns trade off over a roughly jacking undercurrent. Neither end ever rises above the other, and this is really its beauty — like the tracks that precede it, it’s more about creating a specific aural zone than having a DJ-specific purpose. As with the best of Wolfers’ work, the tracks on Sark Island Acid seem halfway between dance floor and soundtrack, a smooth blend of old motifs and his restless imagination.