Wendall – PepperWritten by Manu Ekanayake  Dub house - After a bit of a break from production, Seattle's Wendall has a great release on his hands with this EP. Moving from deep house to dub house and to some darker flavours too, this is definitely one to savour, on a label we’re really getting to like. Wendall is one of those artists who prove that the US is making interesting tunes again. But he’s no newcomer – in fact the Seattle native’s been DJing since the 90s, before moving to the mighty NYC to play the bigger clubs and to launch his own label, Anadamide Records, which has garnered support from the likes of the Carl Cox and Richie Hawtin. And you can hear why Wendall has been such a DJ favourite when the bassline on Lift Ops kicks in. It’s a pulsating deep house number, with that nice ‘sub-aqua’ feel to the bass, giving it that feeling of warmth that all the best dance music has. Deceptively simple, you could get lost in this one for days – it’s just the kind of thing Doc Martin would play at Sublevel. Halftime is a tougher, dubbier affair, more of a set-em-up than a knock-em-down number. The synth stabs punctuate the bass and thread along a track that’s both manages to be both tenacious and appealing at the same time. Not a show-stopper, but a good solid track nonetheless. Next comes Pepper, which is a tracky dub house number, with some FX giving it a spooky, techy vibe. This is a more stripped-back affair, which marks a darker side to what Wendall’s been giving us so far. Be afraid, be very afraid, but keep listening whatever you do. Finally, Renewable is something quite different again. Darker than anything that’s gone before, the bass ends up in dubstep territory as we find ourselves taken down a very dark road by Wendall, possibly for the purpose of being mugged. It’s dark down here (4Hero’s Mr Kirk’s Nightmare kind of dark) but fortunately the only thing you’ll lose here is your senses, not your wallet. Well done, Mr Wendall. Rating: 8.0/10 Tracklist:
Tweet Related news items:Newer news items: |
