#wncl

Its been awhile since I scribbled here. I offer the usual excuses: busy business and grown-up responsibilities and gettin’ paid, along w/ the usual writer’s block/resistance/self-recrimination feedback loop. Oh, and this is key -I don’t recommend updating any pre-2010 MacBook to Yosemite- my trusty old workhorse is now a spinning beachball brick that I can only use as a jukebox. I’m on my wife’s computer at the moment.

Theres a bit of a backlog, so I’ll start with a quick roundup of recent-ish releases from WNCL Recordings.

WNCL023 || DON FROTH - The Acid House Handshake EP

Here comes more merry sampladelic ridiculousness from Don Froth, starting off in low-slung vintage Mo Wax/Ninja Tune boom-bap mode before pitching it up into ep highlight “Cosmo”, a bouncy and raucous banger full of deconstructed junglist drums and an off-kilter breakdown. The rest flies by with scattershot takes on big beat, electro, breaks (“Dip Dive” and “Tools” recalling- of all things- the same carefree hyper-drive of that Plump DJs FabricLive mix from…jeez, how many aeons ago? 2003?) plus a wonderful little breather called “Live Notes”, all deftly-sampled and arranged hand percussion.

It’s a strong release and a nice change of pace from the nosebleed pound that WNCL also has an affinity for (see: J. Tijn, Spatial, CEO below). What keeps me coming back to this ep is the funkiness beneath the chaos of hyped-up samples and crate-digger nods, because it's all presented with an unironic, genuinely fun sense of play. Good times.

WNCL022 || C.E.O. - The Major Edits EP 

A mix of equal parts monster redline fuzz, nosebleed pound and wonky, chopped up syncopated skip and sputter, The Major Edits brings to mind footwork and dancehall playing overtop of each other. Difficult music, this: hard to digest overll as a standalone listening experience but I imagine if you dropped tracks like “Screeching”, “Loud”, and the delightful ep highlight “Kaanit” into your set at the right moment, people would pound the walls in appreciation. Mostly fire.

WNCL021 || EKOPLEKZ - Rock La Bibliotek EP