- Understand has always released moody music. The Bucharest label's records are aimed at DJs, but it certainly doesn't specialise in party-rocking cuts. All that it puts out is heavily atmospheric and dark, even for Romanian standards—the kind of sounds that often work best as part of a long session. NoiDoi member Dubtil supplies Understand's latest 12-inch, the Ebandogue EP. Its been getting rinsed by Romania's top-tier for some time, and it's not hard to see why—the sounds are meaty, intricate and groovy, with enough subtle changes to make each track a journey in itself.
It can be a bit risky to drop such sinister sounds at the tail-end of a party, but Ebandogue seems well suited to late-hour situations. Where Priku and Arapu embraced sunshine with their recent I/0 EP, Dubtil has turned his back on it. "Debandada" is the EP's most disorienting moment, with frantic, chopped vocals buried beneath a soundscape that rises and falls with an oscillating horn sound. "Opus Ebant" is a little more subdued, but it fosters an enthralling sense of tension, making it a powerful track in the right DJ's hands. The EP finishes with the excellent "Epilogue," the safest and only straightforward cut on offer.
TracklistA1 Opus Ebant
B1 Debandada
B2 Epilogue