Trevino, 3 & 1

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In a recent interview, drum and bass veteran Marcus Intalex spoke enthusiastically about his side-project, Trevino. After a year of “coasting,” the Englishman said, his career feels fresh again. It’s funny: to outsiders, moving from two-step electronic music to four-on-the-floor electronic music probably seems like the tiniest thing. And yet, it’s obvious how much this shift renewed his passion. Apart from the project’s blistering release schedule — nine singles in three years — the tracks themselves have a relaxed breeziness to them. Then again, perhaps that’s just classic drum and bass liquidity, ported to a new genre. Whatever the case, when coupled with Trevino’s synths and samples, which are rarely typical of contemporary house and techno, the project is blessed with a serious sense of personality.

Take “Pimlico,” for instance: its restless percussion and blanketing tape hiss feel very “now,” but the way its elastic bass constantly stretches back and forth seems far less typical. Similarly, while “Twelve” snaps and claps like so many brisk techno cuts, its fizzing synths and varied moments of introspection are just that little bit unusual. Moments like these show there’s plenty of wind left in the Trevino sails. The cruising “Gone” and “Regnie” take a little more time to appreciate, but their individual details don’t leave them wanting. In the former, it’s as simple as some quirky clap effects, and in the latter, weird, bird-like noises that flutter across the spectrum. Small as they are, such things do away with any idea that Intalex might be coasting with this project. Not yet, anyway. Let’s just hope he doesn’t grow tired at the tiller.

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