- Josh T's debut came on Hot Waves last year but, frankly, felt like it was made to fit, rather than made as an expression of the man behind it. Given the types that he books for Louche with confrere Brinsley Kazak (and the warm-up sets he performs), it's no real surprise T's tastes run further and deeper than those hinted at on his inaugural release. As if serving to confirm that theory, this debut EP proper on new boutique Berlin label Odd Socks is a world away from his Hot Waves track, operating in woozy spheres of broken hip-hop and stoned deep house.
A-side "Fresno" is a slice of sun kissed future funk befitting of the Californian city after which it is named. Radiant pads ring the blissful vibes as melodic droplets and the restless, ever jostling bottom-end keep things from being too saccharine. But it's the flip, "Yukki", which really stands out. Huge rubbery kick drums boom miles beneath an analogue ecosystem of ticking snares and claps as lazy piano notes get pitch bent and skewed across the whole lurching arrangement. The slowed and slurred tempo add extra purpose to something already (subtly) hellbent on making you drop those shoulders and shake those hips. With this release, it seems Josh T has properly arrived.
Tracklist A Fresno
B Yuuki