Bicep At Juno Download

Review: Belfast lads done very good Bicep return with the Stash EP - their first full release of the year - and it represents a triumphant return to Will Saul's Aus label. It's fair to say Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar ruled 2012, helping to pioneer a trend in backwards glancing house music across their various releases for Aus, Love Fever and their own Feel My Bicep label, so it makes for pleasant listening that Stash sees the duo expanding on their sound with four tracks more reflective of their personal tastes. The title track is full on peak time bliss which dovetails nicely with the glistening deepness of "Courtside Drama" and the chunk "Rise" which demonstrates a new found passion for infectious lead synth hooks. "The Game" offers a downtempo curveball, working in samples from HBO drama The Wire amidst a generally melancholic tone that owes more to Aphex Twin than Kerri Chandler.

Review: 2012 continues to serve the burger loving Bicep duo of Andy Ferguson and Matthew McBriar supremely well, with this debut turn on Will Saul's talent spotting Aus imprint swift off the back of their well received Love Fever drop "$tripper". Intriguingly, Bicep demonstrate their talent for collaborations here, with fellow Tusk Wax cohort Ejeca contributing to the title track "You" which is a crafty and vaguely trancey shuffle through 90s warehouse vibes embellished with some 2-step sensibility. In addition, Omar Odyssey - recently revealed as the alias of Serge Santiago - flexes his studio sparring muscles away from regular partner Waze on rise and fall bounce of "Don't". Aus demonstrate their own knack for high profile remixes, enlisting Panorama Bar resident Steffi to remix the title track, with the results a typically blissful yet cluttered revision.