Sous-Vide Records ear for sublime rollers is well documented especially within these pages and the latest EP speaks volumes of this. The Norwegian label often encapsulates essences of its often icey landscape and melds it to slick production and ethereal atmospheres. Next to deliver for Sous-Vide is the duo of Skjaerstad and Dolbah and their entry in the SV discography.
We pick up with track one on the EP ‘Nucifera’ and it hits their label mission of timeless minimal music right on the head. The stop-start beats hit a nice pace between 4/4 and breaks and offer up some very intriguing patterns and sounds. The blissful pads and shimmering synths that overlay the grooves are stunning and the pair of artists build some excellent tension points through the track too. The subtle hats allow the track to tick along nicely without cluttering up the mix too much, which allows the musical elements all the room they need in the mix to really expand and bloom.
It’s tough to choose between the original and Nima Gorgi remix as the two are class in their own way. Where the original floats along in mid-air Nima’s rerub levitates just above the ground as of weighed down by the tough bounding bassline. Not too much as the air is still there just with an added twist and extra swagger. The Piano notes are also a very nice touch that take the vibe off in an unexpected direction.
Skjaerstad and Dolbah’s knack for the melodic extends to their third and final track and again the subtle background electronics and sense of air really lift ‘Tailpot’. The hollow percussion strikes a unique frequency that pulls the sound out of the mix in the best possible way. Sous-Vide Records is going from strength to strength and perhaps the only bad thing about this EP is that it is not on vinyl.
SVRSR008 by Skjaerstad and Dolbah is now available from Bandcamp.
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More info on Dolbah
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