- That he has affiliations with both Underground Resistance and Sandwell District shows Santiago Salazar's ability to balance the fluid with the abstract. The Departure EP begins with the LA producer leaning very much towards the former. "Departure (SFO 2 LAX mix)" sounds like something you'd find at the centre of one of DJ Harvey's eight-hour epics.
Filled with searing Earth, Wind & Fire-style synths, idiosyncratic hi-hats and a sparkling, jerky rhythm, you might call it techno-Balearic. It's a special record—so special, in fact, that the rest of the EP has to work hard to stay on its coattails. "Cruising Altitude (Mile High Mix)" is frantic broken beat, with jabbering bell arps and a soaring, wordless vocal. Appropriately, "Turbulence (50ml mix)" is the most aggressive of the quartet and the freakiest too, all wonky organ, staccato vocal attacks and interference. "Arrival" closes out, with Salazar diving into choppy techno with a jazz-funk edge.
TracklistA1 Departure (SFO 2 LAX Mix)
A2 Cruising Altitude (Mile High Mix)
B1 Turbulence (50ml Mix)
B2 Arrival (Puro Califa S Mix)