- Fabio Monesi, AKA Hissman, goes further than most to keep his tracks true to the original, Chicago-rooted form of house music. Much of the music released on his two labels, Hardmoon London and Wilson Records, is purely analog. Monesi uses an Akai MPC2500 to sequence his productions and records directly onto reel-to-reel tape. A small cult of like-minded producers, such as Steve Murphy and Jay Green, release on Monesi's labels, as well as obvious forbears Gene Hunt and Jordan Fields. As of late, Monesi has developed a taste for anonymous projects. Three recent Wilson Records 12-inches are credited to No Artist, and the label has said they "don't know much about" CL/AD, the producer behind Untilted.
Whoever CL/AD is, he or she has crafted a memorable banger in the untitled A1. The tune starts with a menacing acid line and an incessant cowbell that recalls classic Detroit electro. A wild synth lead threatens to send things off the rails, before a sample of an impassioned vocalist starts yelling, "I'm gon' feel like." A similar formula falls short on the B1. The ham-fisted juxtaposition of a busy acid line and a black man howling, "Lord, have mercy," feels jarring and uncomfortable. The A2 is a welcome respite from the jacking, lo-fi onslaught, homing in on a meditative pad. The B2 is hampered by a dodgy mix-down, most evident in a hi-hat that overpowers things.
Untitled's highs and lows can be seen as a bi-product of Hardmoon's dogmatic "no computers" stance. Monesi and co. flip the machines on, get a gnarly jam going, record it and force themselves to leave well-enough alone. There's something to be said for keeping house music this simple and unfussy.
TracklistA1 Untitled
A2 Untitled
B1 Untitled
B2 Untitled