It's ridiculous in a way: I could open a window, heave a rock and probably hit Whatever We Want Records HQ or plunk Dr. Dunks himself (well, maybe not, but the label and its artists do reside in NYC). And yet it's fucking impossible to find any of their releases in the City or in the outlying borough shops. Instead, the moment WEWW releases come off the press, they're immediately shipped overseas, beckoning from Phonica with that pricey overseas (not to mention pounds sterling conversion) shipping rate.
As the primary outlet for documenting whatever it is that Rub'n'Tug duo Thomas Bullock and Eric Duncan are up to (not to mention being the original home of Quiet Village's mischievous disco edits), it's oft-times worth paying the exorbitant amount, lest I watch Map of Africa, Bobby Marie, Otterman Empire or what have you get listed on Discogs in the $79.99-$109.99 range scant weeks on.
Dr. Dunks is yet another name for the work of Eric Duncan and while I can't parse if it really is to be played at 33 1/3 (per the label), I do know that it makes for a lackluster affair. Spun at 45 instead, it fares slightly better. "Love Savage" starts with an echoing snare and fidgety keyboard line, like something from a John Carpenter or John Hughes film, before the "jungle rain" preset gets deployed. Duncan keeps some misty, ominous chords wafting in the background and once some Chinatown motifs get out of the way, a knife-wielding guitar solo comes through, only to revert back to '80s soundtrack fills.
"The Phone" rides a pitter-pat bit of percussion that reminds me of Syreeta's underappreciated "Tiki Tiki Donga" (from her 1977 album One to One) before expanding outwards. It's laidback BPM-wise, hewing closer to the Balearic portion of the crate, filled with more weightless synth washes and ever-present tiki-tiki touches, with a gorgeous outburst of piano in the middle. Maybe not worth the £10 for shipping, but you may have to pay that much more just to find it online now anyway. And don't even get me started with how they underpress these things...
Tracklist: Dr. Dunks - Re-Imagined In Alphabet City
A The Phone
B Love Savage
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