Morning Factory, Sultans of Swing EP

[Fina Records]


Buy Vinyl

It’s still tough to accurately describe the Morning Factory sound even after they’ve wracked up five records in their discography. Sure, the Dutch production duo could be loosely described as making house music; but that encompasses their more aggressive, techno-flecked cuts on Yore, the jazzy hustle of their Pets Recordings EP, the blissful disco strut of “Fantasy Check” on Royal Oak, and the sheer range contained on their 20:20 Vision EP. What’s clearer, though, is that Jozef Lemmens and Pierre van der Leeuw have a knack for immaculate layering and are only getting better at it on each additional platter. Still a step removed from the rest of their catalog thanks to its barely over 100 BPM tempos, Morning Factory’s Sultans Of Swing EP on Fina Records does an exemplary job summarizing what makes them so intriguing.

Rather than teasing out different strains of house for each track, the pair manage to distill their various styles into humid, immensely detailed slow house. Drowsy horns (or synth approximations) are poured liberally over the title track, cut by jangling hang percussion and slight guitar riffs and overwhelmed by harsher synth oscillations and euphoric sweeps. Similar brass elements facilitate the languid funk of “Lady,” providing a cushy texture beneath tart piano chords, dual male/female vocals, and a progression that never stops bobbing and weaving in the whirling pads. While “Lady” is more immediately catchy and topical, it’s easy to imagine getting lost in the many folds of “Sultans of Swing” during a warm up set. For an often inscrutable producer, Cottam’s remix of “Sultans” has a surprisingly clear reference point in MyMy’s Songs For the Gentle. Yet he wears this influence well, draining the original to let generously delayed stabs and empyrean melodies reverberate around the new found space. Rambunctious drum patterns and jittery guitar samples afford ample structure to make this much faster version viable for the dance floor. The Sultans Of Swing EP is as successful as it is ambitious, again proving that Morning Factory can churn out superb music even as they continually evolve.

Morning Factory  on November 15, 2011 at 9:36 AM

Thanks LWE & Thanks Anton!

Seems like you really understand our vibe.

x
Morning Factory

Sibonelo Zulu  on November 23, 2011 at 1:43 AM

This is brilliant man.

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