- Rhythmically woozy and melodically obscure, Yoav Bernstein's music isn't exactly built for the masses. Even as the Israeli producer has poured milk and sugar into his sound these last few years—2011's excellent Wisdom Traxx EP on Meakusma infused his wobbly atonality with pleasantly pastel hues—it's still an acquired taste that probably won't suit the palate of every dance floor.
With "outsider house" one of the buzzwords of the moment, Bernstein may have found an opening. Yet Delsin's white label reissue of early DJ Yoav B. material is a challenging proposition regardless, presenting two cuts that only seem to have grown more confounding with age. "Energize," originally released in 2005 on Wabi Sabi and part of C2's final push on fabric 25, builds an uncertain groove from hand drums, noisy snares, a two-note bassline and a swarm of nauseous synth notes. Yet even before a voice recites the opening three stanzas of Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself," the track feels like a compilation of non-sequiturs. Originally the B-side from the First Blood EP, Bernstein's Delsin debut, the improbably squelchy "Gemini" is even tougher to parse. Direct as both tracks are compositionally, they point the party down a tributary only the most adventurous (if not borderline unhinged) jocks will be willing to navigate.
Tracklist A Energize
B Gemini