- Ukrainian DJ and producer Vakula has been kicking around for a few years, pushing a jazz-heavy take on deep house for labels like Uzuri, Quintessentials and Doppelschall, but his new EP for Firecracker is something else. It's reminiscent of Trus'me's first EPs in that it feels composed of sketch work, fantastic grooves that emerge and—once you've fallen completely and utterly in love—disappear with frustrating regularity. The longest track on Firecracker EP 5 is a little bit over five minutes, but because of Vakula's lengthy set-ups they feel even shorter.
What's most wonderful about EP 5 is the moments where Vakula reaches outside of the usual Detroit referents and finds new sonorities. "Black & White" seems like a Moodymann rehash until wheedling keys pop up during the last half out of nowhere. "You Can Do" has sirens, the sound of children playing and off-time handclaps in addition to its fat bassline. "Different Tone" samples Flipmode Squad to ecstatic effect, "Skit" takes 38 seconds of the vinyl to do nothing much in particular. Vakula approaches his work more like a hip-hop producer than anything else; EP 5 sounds like prime-era DJ Shadow doing deep house. Get it while you can.
Tracklist A1 Intro
A2 Black & White
A3 Skit
B1 You Can Do
B2 Different Tone