[Circus Company] (buy vinyl) (buy mp3s)

Born in Ibiza, the world’s tropical dance music oasis, Willie Graff has always held the kick drum close to his heart. Securing his first DJing residency at age 14, Graff went on to become Pacha’s youngest resident before moving to New York and taking the reins at Cielo. With techno and house running through his veins, Graff’s 2005 transition into producing proved remarkably smooth, enlisting a constant stream of collaborators (including Jerome Sydenham, DJ Pippi and Tuccillo) as he refined a jacking style of tech-house. With each new 12″ for liebe*detail, Wave Music, Drumpoet Community and Freerange, Graff and Tuccillo (his most frequent partner) have opted for slower, more house-oriented sounds. The “Atracktion EP,” their new release for Circus Company, finds the duo at their most methodical and mellow.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Buttressed by rolling toms and swinging hi-hat backbeats, moist opener “Do It” alternates between mushy chords and softly intoned calls to “do it” and “move it,” with just enough kinetic energy to have early arrivals swaying. Yet its subdued nature leaves the track feeling predictable, almost like a placeholder between more vibrant tunes. “Rucula” nudges the tempo and intensity a notch higher, rewarding careful observers with minute details like gentle strumming sounds and shifting hi-hat timbres. At its core, “Rucula” only builds on the “Do It” template of understated synth tones and vocal samples, adding a resonating piano chord and party-friendly sample drops as distinguishing features. Graff and Tuccilo take the most risks with “Snerata,” loosening snare hits from the grid, letting a wandering synth progression stepping up and down the scale. Sharpened vocal syllables chase dancers towards a glowing beatless section recalling an orchestra warming up before a performance. Serving as an inviting transition point for DJs, listeners can hear the attention paid to the sound design. Distilling Graff and Tucillo’s recent aesthetic to its most functional, formulaic state, the “Atracktion EP”’s unwavering focus serves up enjoyment and disappointment in equal measures.