Review: Sean Hernandez aka Chicago Skyway delivers the latest release on his colleague Steve Tang's label. Focusing as always on the musical legacy of Chicago, Hernandez nonetheless succeeds in providing a number of unusual interpretations of this style. "Empty Pattern 10" starts the release in frenetic form, with rolling snares and wild analogue stabs, followed in quick succession by the dubbed out drums of "Empty Pattern 40". In stark contrast is "It Don't Work", where Hernandez delivers a tough, tracky workout that pushes towards Jamal Moss levels of distortion. Soon enough however, he returns to a more reduced approach with the stripped back techno of "Empty Pattern 31".
Review: Although Chicago features in the release's title, it's fair to say that each producer delivers an individualistic take on US house music for London label Uzuri. At the deeper end of the spectrum sit Dublin's Slowburn and Chicago Skyway aka Sean Hernandez. The duo's "Meteor" is a raw house jam that ticks a lot of boxes: heavy beats that sail close to discordance? Check. Eerie synhs? Present and correct. Shaking, niggling percussion? "Meteor" has it in spades. Hernandez's "Resolution M" also confirms that he is a producer to watch, as shimmering, utopian synths and heavy claps is the most ethereal contribution to the EP. Indeed, "Resoultion M" provides some welcome respite: K Soul & Muteoscillator's "Take 1" features one of the toughest kick drums in house music underpinning an evil acid jam. However, the plaudit for intensity goes to Amsterdam-based duo Juju & Jordash. "Killing Raul With Acid" marks a departure for the duo, as its out of time percussion, noisy, dense drums and wildly distorted acid bleeps descend at times into a wall of noise. It sounds like the sonic interpretation of a nasty LSD trip, but this is a journey that you have to experience at least once.
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