Tevo Howard’s approach to production is often faithfully old-school, especially with regard to instrumentation and technique. The Chicago native has also been vocal about his reverence for the synth-pop and Italo disco building blocks of house, and it’s these genres that are referenced most prominently on Pandora’s Box, his long-form follow up to last year’s Crystal Republic. Several tracks on the record sound like WBMX jams that never were, albeit made with an awareness of house’s maturation over the last 20-something years.
Rhythmically, Pandora’s Box is prototypical Howard; his patterns have an assertive, fluid style and are always upfront in the mix. The tracks here rattle and jack almost nonchalantly, and the kicks and hi-hats are usually doubled up to mesmerizing, sprinkler-esque effect. Rather than trying anything structurally new, the record is about pairing this blueprint with new melodic ideas. As a result, much of Pandora’s Box is among the producer’s poppiest material. “Spend Some Time” displays this sensibility in spades. The track is given two mixes, though the differences between them are subtle, as the rhythm remains essentially unchanged. On the “Underground” mix the main arpeggio, which resembles something by Klein & MBO or even John Carpenter, has a pointed clarity, while on the “Pop” mix it’s filtered-down and watery. Many of the tracks contain these kinds of contrasts within themselves. The muscular, squelching backdrop of “The Promenade” opens up into divergently delicate and edgy patterns. And the opening “Hope” mix of the title track highlights a shrill, bleepy line, which harmonizes with one further back in the mix, distant behind enervated washes of haziness.
Elsewhere, Howard is plaintive and rolling. “Intersection” mixes elegiac chords with a halted arpeggio; never really building into anything, it rests in a kind of resigned loop. “Autumn Spell” (Top Shelf September Mix) is as autumnal as its title suggests. A squeaky acid segment is engulfed by robust piano and synth patterns, the latter with almost a staccato guitar feel. These are among the more nominally house moments, but there’s still a clear synth-pop inspiration in their mix of base machine rhythm and lean, efficient melody. Howard has at least one foot in the retro, but the record stands up because it’s trimmed down to essentials. Its tracks recognize the powerful simplicity of a Yaz dub version rather than make overt copies. Because of its diversity, Pandora’s Box doesn’t really sit together as an LP (or mini-LP), but it doesn’t really need to. Regardless of what era it’s referencing, it always sounds singularly like Tevo Howard.
