Tr One—the brainchild of Dean Feeney and brothers Paul and Eddie Reynolds—walk one heck of a thin line between house and techno: their warm tones and laid-back tempos tug their sound toward the former while hefty rhythms and a minimalist bent push them back toward the latter. While the Irishmen's first record for the Bodytonic-affiliated POGO Recordings, the aptly-named It Ain't Hard to Tell, emphasized their dreamy side, their latest for the label, Living In, Now, contains three chameleon-like tunes as groovy or banging as a DJ feels like making them.
"Banging," though, is admittedly the more obvious adjective for Tr One's sound this time around. Chugging along with plenty of surface static, the title cut feels like it's bound to give way to jazzy Rhodes chords and soul-drenched vocals, but it doesn't: a twangy voice drops in but never makes it beyond the first syllable or two, choosing instead to keep tripping over increasingly hefty and noisy drums. The cymbal shimmer that closes out the track sounds like it's letting off steam, but "Herd of Trains"—thick with 303s and other jackin' ephemera—keeps the pressure high. "Love Letter" narrows the group's focus without sacrificing their drive, setting a hi-hat over a pitched-up acid loop while a meditative lower bassline lends the arrangement some much-needed gravity.
Buy Tr One - Living In, Now at
  
Tracklist: Tr One - Living In, Now
 A1 Living In, Now
A2 Herd Of Trains
B Love Letter
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