02.02.2008 The Darkest Secret
Luke Solomon is a longtime purveyor of oddball, left-of-centre house, and a man seemingly with more identities than Jason Bourne. Co-founder of the wonderfully schizophrenic and now sadly defunct label Classic, Solomon is responsible for wave after wave of house bombs (check ‘We Dig You Acid' for a shining example), not to mention a recent solo mix album of original productions. Oh, and this comes on Rekids, one of the most striking labels at present. Nice.
The title of ‘The Darkest Secret' should clue you into the sound: music for the beach this is not. Hypnotic, bleepy and rolling, it's all about the linear groove of the cylindrical bassline-part vintage Derrick Carter and part stripped down 2008 techno-that holds attention throughout. The track also drafts in the vocals of veteran reggae selector Earl Gateshead, whose vacant, spoken word ramblings about "the horrors" and "conscience" add to the brooding feel of the track, an effect quite similar to Jackson Del Ray's contribution to Shackleton's ‘Next to Nothing'. The final touches are snippets of live cello and a warm, humming sub bass, which make this perfect 4 a.m. gear to get lost in, equally pleasing to those with a techno or house slant.
Andomat 3000 pops up on the flip with a decidedly more Germanic approach. Again it's brimming with bass, but is a far more techno cut with a dense, thumping kick drum pinning it together. Percussive clicks and hops add some variety, but overall it's all about the relentless groove. It might lack the personality of ‘The Darkest Secret', but it's a solid DJ tool. Music for Freaks? You bet. This one comes highly recommended.
