For the first premiere of 2022 we kick off with an artist looking to start the year as he means to go on. Being a major player in the Glasgow scene and further afield has stood Modat in good stead and come February 2022 the label will be celebrating five years in the game. Johnny Johnny boss Modat returns to own his label with a special extended two part 12” release that covers a range of underground sounds. A clear intention to pay homage to those that have gone before but in his own special way that further helps to stamp his mark on the scene. ‘Music For the Contrarian’ is a sterling body of work.
The backbone to the two parts of this sprawling release is minimal leaning muscular house at its finest but there is much more to it than that. Focus track B2 ‘Right Back (Dub Mix)’ is a stomping workout for the darker rooms and the stripped back dubby nature of the synth stabs and reverb soaked kicks lends itself nicely to the pitched down vocals. Treading a fine line between minimal, techno and dub it is clear that Modat has many influences to call upon when at the controls. Where the dub version of ‘Right Back’ strips back all elements to their core the original version on B1 gives the full vocal picture and the addition of tidy pad sequence that squares off nicely against the heavy hitting beats.
Rewinding back to the beginning of part 1 and ‘Murkah Blip’ gives a rumbling nod to the deeper, dubbed out shades of minimal house that fit perfectly with hazy afternoons or twilight moments. Serious amounts of sub bass underpin the track throughout while the synth stabs and bleeps lift the track in other directions. Side A is completed by the stunningly garage tinged ‘Somebody’ and the vocal snips and bumpy bassline offer a lush soundscape befitting of the finest rays of sunshine.
Moving on to part two of ‘Music For the Contrarian’ and Modat is in control of dials for a wigged out start on ‘See You’. Synth fall and tumble all around the finely crafted beats as if in freefall just in time to be caught and worked into the track. A2 ‘So Kind’ is another fine example of treading tuned up grooves with a subtle touch and retro pads rise and fall like the setting or rising of the sun while the vocal snips add a female touch.
Flipping over to side B and ‘Bad Eyes’ leads out with a powerful undulating bassline that awaits the addition of the expertly woven pads. Punctuating the mix is the punchy percussion and thudding kicks and the result is perhaps one of the strongest tracks on the whole release. Instead of winding down the release Modat opts for an even tougher version from Beau on the Warehouse mix and this one seriously bangs. Thunderous kicks and bassline combine to create a wall of sound but still with the balance and poise of the original version.
Throughout the two-part release it is clear that artists such as Kris Wadsworth, Bobby Donny, Youandewan and Shed have all had a big impact on the his style. Speaking with Modat about the release there has been some serious thought gone into this track and the rest of the release, “Running off the back of JJW002 I already knew I want to make a larger statement project for my Modat alias. The LP was inspired from a lot of my favourite artists. The idea was to produce a fuller package something that fell between the lines of being something you can collect. But also use in the clubs!”
JJW003 by Modat is available on pre-sale via deejay.de.
More info on Modat
Facebook | Resident Advisor | SoundCloud | Discogs
More info on Johnny Johnny
Facebook | ResidentAdvisor | Beatport
