GoldFFinch – Funky Steppa / Groove Panda

Label: Saigon

Funky Steppa

 

EP Minimix

Belgian duo GoldFFinch have been on my radar for a while with great releases on Numbers, Airflex Labs and 887, but have yet to quite penetrate the big-time dance leagues. Hopefully their first release on Saigon will change that, continuing their style of hard-bodied grooves assembled with clipped samples while ramping up the danceability. Funky Steppa quickly brings in all of the pair’s strengths; minute vocal snips that repeat until they’re a part of the rhythm, a varied and textured percussive field and sparse but warm vibes that would ramp up dancefloor anticipation. The only difference is that when this track drops it’s bigger and more epic than any GoldFFinch release to date; klaxons wailing out as a fantastic vocal loop echoes out over tight beats that sound like someone knocking on wood. The pair have never been content to leave a tune as just build up and breakdown, and here plentiful micro-edits add to the track enormously, with skipping vocal loops and percussive layers dropping in and out of the mix at perfect times, leading to an enormous second drop that would blow any club wide open.

B-side Groove Panda is more overtly percussive, with the beats shifting every minute or so to great effect. It’s also a more subdued tune, with wordless vocals echoing across the soundfield amidst twinkling synths lower in the mix. It’s a tune that would sound good in a mix but doesn’t impress quite as much as the A-side. Either way, it’s clear that GoldFFinch are really establishing a sound for themselves, and while Funky Steppa is an essential for Bass DJs, I’m even more excited to see what they come up with next.

7.5/10