- Since he released his debut in 2006, Sebastien San has made his way around an unusual collection of labels: From Gigolo to Echocord Colour, Rush Hour, Planet E and Figure SPC among others. Tellingly, his sound has remained remarkably consistent no matter where he has turned up—resolutely classic, analog and stripped to the essentials, with sawtoothed leads drawing circles above clean-lined drums, emotional but also economical. So it's not surprising that the first release from his own Ab Initio label follows in similar form. All four tracks feature minor-key melodies and soft, billowing chords; they're graceful and meditative, with just enough oomph in the drum programming to keep them funking along.
"Decay" and "For You" have a lazy, easygoing temperament that brings Smallville to mind, even if San's sound is rougher and more present; as with Smallville, there's also a certain sense of interchangeability here. Still, "For You" stands out within the set, perhaps simply because its two-chord pivot gives it an ever-so-slightly greater sense of motion. "Reverse," with its surly, squelching bassline, is the toughest of the bunch; its wild tremolo lead sounds like one of Carl Craig's melodies time-traveling back to a 1950s sci-fi flick.
Tracklist A1 Decay
A2 For You
B1 Reverse
B2 Cosmic Track