Last year's Clean-Cut found Amsterdam's Juju & Jordash on bright and vivacious form. In musical terms, the jazz-loving duo haven't always been straight talkers, but in this case a bit of directness was a boon. Down To The Roach, the pair's return to Dekmantel, follows a similar plan. Their meandering synth work is still the main attraction, but they keep a firm grip on house convention, too.
The title track is the most grounded of the lot, its beefy kick drum webbed with dextrous synth arps. Floating up top is a voice—presumably one of the pair getting his falsetto on—variously cut into breathy loops or tracing more expansive melodies. A dub version strips away the vocals to reveal the track's steelier core; each version is solid, though the inclusion of both feels slightly like too much of a good thing. "Lights At Night" works with similar materials, though this time the lead actor is a guitar, whose gorgeous swooning chords work in counterpoint to the track's tart synth lines. "Bean Bag Motel," finally, is a tad darker, and lacks that centrepiece element to focus its fidgety energy. It doesn't help that its four-note bassline apes "Hit The Road Jack." Juju & Jordash may be wizards behind the keyboards, but even they can't teach new tricks to that old dog.
The title track is the most grounded of the lot, its beefy kick drum webbed with dextrous synth arps. Floating up top is a voice—presumably one of the pair getting his falsetto on—variously cut into breathy loops or tracing more expansive melodies. A dub version strips away the vocals to reveal the track's steelier core; each version is solid, though the inclusion of both feels slightly like too much of a good thing. "Lights At Night" works with similar materials, though this time the lead actor is a guitar, whose gorgeous swooning chords work in counterpoint to the track's tart synth lines. "Bean Bag Motel," finally, is a tad darker, and lacks that centrepiece element to focus its fidgety energy. It doesn't help that its four-note bassline apes "Hit The Road Jack." Juju & Jordash may be wizards behind the keyboards, but even they can't teach new tricks to that old dog.
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Published /
Mon / 1 Jun 2015 -
Words /
Angus Finlayson -
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Tracklist /
A1 Down To The Roach
A2 Bean Bag Motel
B1 Lights At Night
B2 Down To The Roach (Dub)
Saint Petersburg
Amsterdam
South West
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