Bicep – Stash

Label: Aus

Rise

Irish duo Bicep’s meteoric rise to stardom over the last twelve months has been an impressive journey. With an early interest in 90s revivalism and no-nonsense Jersey sounds added to the superb You / Don’t EP (whose A-side made the top ten of our Year End Roundup), the duo have been taking the scene by storm. However this ascent has not gone without its share of detractors. For every listener enamoured by Vision Of Love’s straight-up euphoria, there was someone dissatisfied by their wholesale appropriation of a decades-old style to cash in on a trend. This criticism did not seem unfounded at the time, but the duo’s choice to air years worth of unreleased material on their Beats In Space podcast hinted at something different; darker sonic territory explored with the deft craftsmanship that has marked out each of their releases to date. Now for their second release on Will Saul’s Aus imprint, the pair give some of their new material a chance to shine, effectively heading off any critics in the process.

Opener Stash should serve as a perfect transition for those familiar with Bicep’s previous material. While the moody bass line and twitching percussion may lack the wide-eyed ecstasy of their last EP’s piano stompers, the heavy 4/4 and shimmering synthwork provide ample compensation. On Courtside Drama an ambient synth wash locks into the analog sound that is currently sweeping the scene, as piping synth notes take a dreamy lead over a deep bass throb and syncopated drum patterns.

The Game

Up until this point it’s been a largely successful stylistic shift for the pair, but the first two tracks never truly amaze. Thankfully, this is because whoever is in charge has backloaded this EP, saving the two best cuts for last. While Stash is positioned as the primary club cut here, superb third track Rise outstrips the title track’s dancefloor credentials with ease. While many of the sounds are familiar; jangling syncopations and heavy kicks, here iridescent synthwork plays out with alacrity across a track whose structure is clearly indebted to slow-burning techno, easily making for one of Bicep’s most memorable tunes to date. The Wire-sampling closer The Game is just as impressive; languid synthworks recall Twin Peaks' sounds, playing out mysteriously over a spacious arrangement of hissing hi-hats and an echoing woodblock hit.

There’s nothing wrong with this EP’s first two cuts, it more feels like the stylistic switch-up took a moment to get going. Once they get deep on the B-side the effect is magical, and quite besides being great music, the Stash EP fiercely proves that Bicep have more than a few tricks left up their sleeve.

7.5/10

Dusky – Nobody Else

Label: Aus

UK duo Dusky continue their rapid rise to the top with a fresh EP on Will Saul’s Aus imprint, following a series of increasingly tough-edged jackers on School, (Aus sister-imprint) Simple, Anjunadeep and Dogmatik. The pair have so far excelled due to their deft skill attaching catchy melodies and vocals to dark house rollers, peppering their productions with elements of bass and garage where necessary. Their latest is no different, offering another tasty selection of top-notch body music which, while it doesn’t depart from their established sound,  is sure to dominate the ‘floors over the coming months.

The pair kick off proceedings with one of their most anthemic tunes to date in the form of title cut Nobody Else. A classic diva vocal loop and canny strings add a grandeur to the no-nonsense bassline (which ranks among the duo’s finest since Flo Jam). Second cut What I Never Knew takes things deeper, resurrecting their Calling Me EP’s penchant for reverb-drenched, pitched-down vocals and twinning them with their trademark stable of tough, techy beat patterns and moody atmospheric details.

While the first two cuts are undeniably precision-built for the groove, those looking for a little variation should turn to the EP’s B-side. Third cut Atone is a notable departure from the pair’s established sound, where wordless vocal clips and a swooping bass bounce intoxicatingly intertwine beneath a pots-n-pans drum loop. Dusky’s special knack for epic breakdowns remains intact, with an emotive female croon lightening proceedings before that nasty bass bounce comes back with a vengeance. Final cut Dummy is also sure to garner attention, an unstoppable stomper where a cheeky bouncing bassline, sure to kill in the club, is all that’s needed to make for a killer close.

Nobody Else is another faultless selection of club-killers from Dusky, but considering the rate that they put them out and the general lack of variation in their sonic palette, one can’t help but feel that their releases are beginning to feel a little functional. The tunes are fun and undeniably effective, but let’s hope that before the duo churn out their next release they give some thought to changing up their game and putting those polished skills to the test with some new sounds.

7/10