- Sean Hernandez, best known to the techno cognoscenti as Chicago Skyway, doesn't come off like a new producer so much as one who Aroy Dee recently discovered under a thick sheet of dust. Though he's a relatively new talent with a knack for conjuring the old school, he manages to feel more of a piece with his lineage than so many young guns arming themselves to the teeth with Roland gear. His last release for the aforementioned Dutch producer's M>O>S label kicked off their MOS_DEEP series, and now seven color vinyl slabs in, Chicago Skyway returns to the imprint with more top-notch vintage burners, this time with a smile and few other likeminded soundsmiths in tow.
Nothing on the Lager EP constitutes a major departure for any entity involved, but there's something in the mood here—a sense of humor, perhaps—that feels special. Aroy Dee's edit of "Bad Driver" starts off on a very-M>O>S buzzy acid tip before getting a rinse of sweetly dissonant sheets of synth. "Lager Nord," produced with newcomer Dcook, brings the funk by way of seriously simple—but extremely effective—drum machine programming. And under his Obsolete Music Technology guise, Steven Tang launches "Nord" into space, maintaining the original's funk while smearing its melody into a haze of bleeps and bloops. Lighthearted, sure, but this EP ain't no joke.
TracklistA1 Chicago Skyway - Bad Driver (Aroy Edit)
B1 Chicago Skyway & Dcook - Lager Nord
B2 Chicago Skyway & Dcook - Lager (Obsolete Music Technology Remix)