Going against the "key trends" for 2008, Luke Solomon's Demons is not an homage to Basic Channel or Prescription. Instead the inspiration comes from that hoariest and most basic of genres: acid house.
There's nothing cerebral or airy-fairy about acid house, and therefore the Demons EP is unlikely to be blogged about much. Which is quite fine because this music doesn't belong on a blog: It belongs in a dank basement with sweat on the walls.
"Return to Darkly" is a ten-minute journey into jacking nastiness. The 303 chugs along steadily without screaming or accelerating and Solomon adds his trademark multi-layered psychedelia over the top, building slowly with squeaks and chirps before the track breaks down and comes pounding back with an insanely heavy kick drum and a brief downpitched vocal about some gloomy nonsense. It's beautifully lumpen and pragmatic music, executed with style and finesse and is the kind of thing you shouldn't listen to while at the office because it'll make you wish you were out of your head in some nasty club in the wee small hours.
"Demons" is considerably simpler, with more funk to it, giving it an '80s Chicago acid feel, although the bassline never actually gets squelchy, being content to just wobble away while choirs warble over the top. It's catchy, physical, and would be very effective in a club, but is unlikely to make much impression over headphones. Brennan Green's remix brings out more of the latent acid in that bassline, but sacrifices the banging drums for a more laid-back disco feel and slow-mo keys.
Does this mean acid is back? I doubt it, but Solomon does a good job here of reminding us that there's no substitute for loud drums and a great bassline—and that we don't have to make dance music into something complex for there to be value in it.
Buy Luke Solomon - Demons EP at
Tracklist: Luke Solomon - Demons EP
A1 Demons
A2 Return To Darkly
B1 Demons (Brennan Green Remix)
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