Into The Woods and Pickled Music continue to be a home for emerging and established artists and they line up another fire VA with five names to watch. Taking the reins for the eighth edition of the digital series is Olivier Romero, Utip, RT, Los Bastoneros, and Omar C, let’s get into it.
Hitting this VA from top, we focus on “Exten-Dead” from Get Traum artist Olivier Romero. Straight in with the punch, Olivier sets up a swaggering bleepy groove that is further driven by a low slung bass and rap-tinged vocals. Completing the rhythmic element is a series of intertwining hi hats, but the onus is certainly on the bump.
Moving onto RT’s “Feverdream” and from the outset the super deep bass tones grab the attention. Dubby synth stabs soon start to stamp their dominance in the mix but with the roomy percussion adding the airy balance to temper the atmosphere nicely. This is further enhanced with the dreamy vocals that effortlessly invite the ear into its lucid world.
Utip is next with “Gradela Holdonska” and channeling his minimal roots, he winds the grooves tightly around a stretched out soulful vocal sample and crisp percussion. Absolutely packed full of undulating rhythms and sound motifs that constantly keep the ear interested.
Romanian trio Los Bastoneros follow up with “Monolith”. With a storied background in the Ro scene, LB have crafted a whole story in one track. Leading out with tough thudding beats, the emotive pads soon edge their way into the action but without losing the insistent energy that had been built up prior. Dissipating somewhat during the break, this forlorn interlude does not last too long before the high-energy beats are reintroduced.
Finishing the release on a high with Omar C’s “CLK SYNC”, ramping up the BPM’s somewhat, the direction also shifts with a more techno-oriented drive. Omar utilises a sleek groove that inherits shades of dub techno and also elements its purer forms, while still managing to display house fundamentals. The constant rhythms are a mainstay, even while the track breaks down to a sublime whisper, it is not long before the action kicks back in. This VA is a perfect example of Into The Woods’ approach to harnessing emerging talent and we look forward to the next edition.
You can grab the VA via their Bandcamp and also Beatport.
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