- Since his debut for the label back in 2008, Kris Wadsworth has been one of Morris Audio's most regular and reliable contributors. It's fairly easy to see why. Both label and producer focus on raw, analogue sounds and an unfussy approach to house, all of which are expertly demonstrated on Wadsworth's Ex-Girlfriend EP.
Leading very much by example, "Machine Sympathy" has all the swagger and grittiness you'd expect, boasting a spectacular amount of low-end thump and a relentless, clanging lead, both of which knock you about with the sheer force of their convictions. It's brutal in most places but rather delicate in others; a velvet-clad gauntlet for which there is no reasonable reaction than to get your head down and get on with it.
By comparison, the remaining tracks that make up the EP are like a gentle rubdown. "One Man Army" fizzes into your ears with foggy pads and a woody kick drum before introducing a vocal sample familiar to fans of Dr. Dre's The Chronic. In many hands it could come across as merely functional, but Wadsworth's attention to detail on each percussive element shines through, making the introduction of each clack, thump or shuffle an event worth savouring. "Cliché" comes with another muscular kick/bass combo, this time offsetting its potentially damaging power with playfully wandering keys and soothingly hushed vocals.
TracklistA Machine Sympathy
B1 One Man Army
B2 Cliche