X-Kalay hit up the land down under once again, this time bringing some pensive, intergalactic electro and house flavours from Sydney native E Davd. The self-styled Cosmic Healer turns in an EP of similar flavor to his first effort; ice cold pads, hypnotic 303 basslines and liberal use of that 707 rim shot combine to create a record shot through with reflection and melancholy.
Number ten for X-Kalay is kicking off a series of Various Artist EPs. Whilst taking in 3 continents brings a certain geographical diversity, the aim of this record was to create a cohesive release bound by the common themes of electronic music they love at the label. On the A side Zurich based Douala lights it up with a perfectly crafted dubbed out house jam; awash with tape delays and spacey reverbs ‘The Mysteries of Life’ is an excellently understated piece of work. Next up Chilean Mucho Sueno utilisies some big drum workouts and tense atmospherics to turn in a tough 4×4 house track. Baked in the concrete streets of Santiago, the rough percussive interplay and strong bass grooves of ‘Yungelita’ quickly becoming a signature of this promising South American producer. On the flip it’s an all Australian affair with E.Davd contributing a deliciously lazy, boogied out electro number full of iced out pad work and a truly hypnotic groove. Finally, fellow Australian Escape Artist closes things off with a massive stripped back cut aimed squarely at the floor; the jagged electro bass and moody pad work of Archipelago upping the ante perfectly.
The Hipodrome Of Music 