Uitgebracht
November 2014
- The Lovers Rock label run by Daniel Martin-McCormick, AKA Ital, has thus far been almost exclusively a vehicle for the New York producer's own work. This four-way split EP presumably heralds a widening of the Lovers Rock roster. It features two tracks from label debutants DJ Wey and Damon Eliza Palermo alongside cuts from Ital himself and Earthen Sea, the only outside artist to have previously released on the label. Martin-McCormick is at pains to emphasise that this is still a family affair, however, with all the contributors having either worked or lived together.
Jacob Long, AKA Earthen Sea, who used to play bass with Ital in Mi Ami, gets things started with "Beat 13," a mellow, meandering ensemble of glowing keys, echoing hats and muffled kicks. It sets a broadly ambient tone that prevails through much of the release. Magic Touch turns in a beatless, spiraling tumble of synths on "Inner Realm," and Ital closes with the glacially paced, wafting clank of "Resonant Chamber." Despite the signpost that is its title, DJ Wey's "Nosebleed" comes as a surprise given the woozy loveliness elsewhere. A buzzy club banger somewhat redolent of Drop The Lime, its bass pings and chaotic snares aren't unpleasant exactly, but nor are they compelling enough to justify breaking the record's blissful spell.
TracklistA1 Earthen Sea - Beat 13
A2 DJ Wey - Nosebleed
B1 Damon Eliza Palermo - Inner Realm
B2 Ital - Resonant Chamber