- Following a ten-year break, Out To Lunch, a label run by Workshop founder Lowtec, resurfaced in February with Sword Of Light, a leftfield house EP by a mysterious act called The Hangout Project. Now they've followed that up with another leftfield house EP, once again by a hitherto unknown artist: Black Point (or James Cook, according to the credits on the record). The similarity in style between these two records—slow and spaced-out house, plus one track over 140 BPM—makes it hard not to wonder if there's some connection between these acts beyond being on the same label. Either way, EP 1 is another classy and laid-back EP from this resurgent label.
You imagine all the tracks on EP 1 taking place in some vast abyss, a cool, wide-open space where their rhythms drift lazily by (all but one are below 110 BPM). "Mythic" slinks through its four-and-a-half minutes with little more than a few percussive loops—juggling hi-hats, snaps instead of claps—occasionally offset by a lick of keys. "Black Point" is a bit more fleshed out, with twinkling chimes and a loping groove. On "Vespers," deep, sonorous melodies roll in like a thick fog, further enhancing the track's enormous sense of scale. This one nails the vibe of the EP so thoroughly that it upstages "Give Up," the fluttering, 144 BPM curveball that comes next. When Out To Lunch reappeared this year, I said "you have to hope there's more where this comes from." Now, you can only wonder what'll come next.
TracklistA1 Mythic
A2 Black Point
B1 Vespers
B2 Give Up