[Brut!]

Having spent the better part of the last three years on sabbatical from releasing records, St. Plomb (Vincent Kolb to the family he nurtured in the meantime) fiercely assures fans his creative and producing faculties are still sharp on the long awaited return, “Escape Run” on Brut! He was last spotted with production partner Crowdpleaser, zig-zagging around the globe in support of their critically acclaimed and sonically diverse debut album, 2006. So it’s with great pleasure that I report St. Plomb’s latest retains the eccentric, non-linear style which made him such an intriguing producer in the first place.

The limited edition “Escape Run” is a treat for the enemies of predictability in dance music, melding disparate themes in coherent if unanticipated ways. The title track has listeners barreling between ricocheting chords and potbellied bass notes, crawling through worming progressions and hi-hat seizures, and marveling at effusive organ patterns, all without sounding random. After recovering enough to flip the record, the more danceable forms of “Saturnic Night Access” greet dizzy listeners. Its bed of laconic organ chords beckon before yanking back the covers to reveal a dance floor, breaking the minor chords into jaunty progressions. Finding still more room for hyperactive arpeggios, glowing pads and the feverish cries of a faraway bandleader, “Saturnic Night Access” finds St. Plomb rejecting the dullness of much contemporary “deep” house in favor of a Theo Parrish-style deconstruction. Constantly in upheavel, the “Escape Run” EP is not for the faint of heart and must be deployed thoughtfully, lest it bring the dance floor to screeching halt. But one can hardly fault St. Plomb for being ambitious and full of ideas for his first record back, especially one this engrossing. Hopefully he’s saved some of each for forthcoming solo releases and Crowdpleaser collaborations.