50 Weapons really is one of the most genre-defying labels around. Just look at its roster. Apart from the huge constrasts from artist-to-artist, nearly all its signings are possessed with a certain creative restlessness. Take Shed, Cosmin TRG or Addison Groove; all have proven incredibly hard to put in boxes. The latest addition to this camp is Bambounou, a French producer whose debut album is set to drop on the label before the end of the year. If Cobe is anything to judge by, it's going to be a diverse bunch of tracks.
On the A-side, "Chrome" doles out cascading synth lines onto unsteady beats. Well, that's one thing it does, anyway. Were it not for the hard-shelled percussion constantly booming and hissing at its core, "disjointed" might have been an appropriate descriptor. Raising the stakes with a stuttering vocal, "Mass" is just as twitchy. Recent years have spoiled us with regard to vocal treatments, which is perhaps why this one seems a tad plain. And yet, the track's halting, light-footed groove proves surprisingly infectious. Up last, "Deepstaria" seems like the most obvious choice for dance floors. Here, a simpler and meatier breakbeat acts as the vehicle for a nauseating, quasi-acid loop to unravel. This last effort shows a producer as comfortable with functionality as he is with going off-road.
Buy Bambounou - Cobe at
Tracklist: Bambounou - Cobe
 A1 Chrome
A2 Mass
B Deepstaria
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