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w&p by K-LONE

edit by Leod

art by Guillaume de Ubéda

© ℗ 2023 Sweet N Tasty

Drumz! (Leod Edit)

Fair Demands

Untitled 07

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My Roommate Is Bald (Almost)

Untitled 08

Inseparable maestros Alec Dienaar & STIPP hardly bother with track names - who needs them when the tunes hit this hard? The Dutch pair link up with ec2a for four slabs of driving ghettotech steeped in 90s Detroit grit. Blown-out drums, brute-force basslines and a Newton’s cradle-swing power through “Tool 01” and beyond. “Tool 02” and “Tool 03” are kindred spirits, with sassy primadonna behaviour on the former and boarding calls for big ol’ booties on the latter. “Tool 04”’s infectious Chicago house grooves are crowned with a soul-speaking top-of-the-drop sample: “I’ve had enough!”.

[OPM009] Alec Dienaar & STIPP - G Tools EP

Rooted in the underground mentality of the 90s, the whole thing is quite evocative, grabbing hold of a euphoric funk sound and transporting it into the 2020s with a modern, high-tempo pulse. In blending the raw, pumping energy of warehouse techno with the glimmer of disco cabaret, the Bay Area native takes a refreshing tangent on dancefloor tools which render themselves distinct from his contemporaries in the space.

Zero Idea describes Xpressions as a deeply personal journey— “each track, mood and sonic idea is a dance floor representation of significant life events that shaped my adult years”. The album lands as a maturation of both musical composition and personal character for the artist.

From the atmosphere building intro in “Foreword”, to the uptempo soul of “Seventh Heaven”, and the high voltage intensity of “Overload”, the album delivers a carefully contained and diligently paced listening experience, where the vivacity of the tracks is at no point overwhelming, and yet the energy never fails to deliver. Standout moments include title track “Xpression”, a relentless, straight-to-the-point tech-funk heater which perfectly showcases the Zero Idea ethos, as well as ‘Epiphany’ with its blissful blend of deep melodies and driving beats which encapsulate the album’s emotional depth.

Production/Mixing: Benji Fales
Mastering: Paul Mac at Hardgroove Mastering
Artwork: Tyler Miller
Creative Direction: Colby Riley 

Xpressions

Threads

Seventh Heaven

Peripheral Logic

Improv T.a16

[pronounced loud]
Full Pelt
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elle@curvingtrack.com