- Between the powerhouse trio of Rhadoo, Raresh and Petre Inspirescu and relative newcomers like Praslea and Cristi Cons, Romania has been consistently introducing the world to styles of techno and house relatively unheard and wholly mesmerizing for the last few years. Hometown hero label [a:rpia:r] has been releasing music from its country's finest for the last two years, but, for the most part, they haven't strayed far from stripped back and bizarre slow burning DJ tools, such as Raresh's "Dry Tool" and Pedro's "Sub Salcie." The imprint's latest, though—the debut from Cinderfella Ltd., a moniker that many say that Thomas Melchior is behind—breaks the mold and delivers a pair of techno stompers.
"Time" is as creative as it is simple. The redundant loop of the vocal hook layered over a twisted, evil circus-styled collection of keys and a bassline that oozes energy is one to work with. While it's easy to dismiss the production here as remarkably simple, it's the almost unnoticeable intricacies in the percussion that reveal the master craftsman behind this new production alias. On the reverse, the driving techno is replaced in "Western Geocentric" with a bouncing tech house funk. Quirky tom work and a funky set of chimes and hi-hats give the composition a throwback feel, but the cyclical nature of the piece, save for the random bass rumbles, unfortunately see it fall far behind its EP partner. It's not until the final minutes that any change seems to happen, but it's a minor one, leaving listeners to wonder if Melchior—or whomever—paid a tad too close attention to Ricardo Villalobos' arrangement techniques.
Tracklist A Time
B Western Geocentric