Deep, tech house in all its finger-wagging, whoop-inducing loveliness is the name of the game for Spanish-born and London-based Carlo. There's more than a little hint of Martin Buttrich about "Glueck Strasse." It's a little less serious and a little more funky (if you can bear to have that word applied to a track of this nature), with a deliciously warm and meaty base over which a super-crisp handful of hats and synths are sparingly scattered. There's something about this style of house that's so easily accessible, yet has enough weight behind it not to disintegrate into indifference after a few listens. Mihai Popoviciu's remix is a little harder to digest, but worth the extra effort. A soft acid synth fading in and out over a relentlessly pulsating synth edges it purposefully towards darker territories.
"Darker Than Black" is a lot less linear, spacey vocals and popping, diving clicks and beeps push the sanity levels dangerously close to the edge, while what sounds like a manic, heavily distorted horn is a mind-bending inspiration. Elef calms things down considerably with his remix; calming vocal sweeps and a simple yet utterly commanding bassline take centre stage, sounding like an abandoned steel mill being done over by noisy ghosts. Finally "Trainee" has a particularly early Detroit feel about it, both sonically and in the programming of the drums; it doesn't do a great deal and no one thing stands out in the mix, but it's expertly blended and tastes just swell.
Tracklist: Carlo - Darker Than Black EP
01. Glueck Strasse
02. Glueck Strasse (Mihai Popoviciu Remix)
03. Darker Than Black
04. Darker Than Black (Elef Remix)
05. Trainee
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