- On his Spectral Sound debut, San Francisco's Matrixxman turns to Chicago house for inspiration. But before you roll your eyes and hit the "back" button, hear me out. Charles Duff has a way of channeling all sorts of ideas and sounds into streamlined dance bangers, and Chicago is just one of these sources. And besides, although he's said to use classic Roland equipment for most of the EP, "Venetian Mask" is the only track that feels retro—and if it's a pastiche, it's a great one.
Duff gets the appeal of acts like Mr. Fingers and Vincent Floyd just right with "Mask," a breezy number with carefree synths and punchy drum programming that gives it the same tough-but-inviting feel that made his work on Fifth Wall and Sooo Wavey so satisfying. The writhing "Scimitar" is moodier, though its ascending bassline—going up and up in jerky motions—feels cheeky, the kind of thing bound to elicit odd movements on a dance floor.
There's a whimsy to "Enter Me," which loops several mallet lines into a Balearic orchestra. Wrapping things up in unexpected fashion, "The Caravan" is pure rushing techno. It trades the bucolic deep house sounds for harsher metal ones, and shows yet another side to Duff's musical personality.
TracklistA1 Venetian Mask
A2 Enter Me
B1 Scimitar
B2 The Caravan