- Of the three records DJ Overdose released in 2015, Housejam Freaker has the least to do with electro, the Dutch producer's usual stomping grounds. You can get quick loops of the stuff in a couple of the vinyl's locked grooves, but otherwise these tracks lean heavily into druggy techno and acid. Overdose sounds right at home, though, having brought along his rugged hardware arsenal and taste for restless arrangements. And the sharp, mechanical beats of "Dikzak" and "Vinca" retain an electro tinge—anxious ambience, 303 squiggles and other squirrely synth sequences—that'll appeal to fans. It's a robust mix that'll lend some uncanny old-school charm to any dance floor it graces.
Those B-sides prop up a bloated A-side, where the title track and Willie Burns' rough-and-ready remix vie for attention. At eight minutes long, "Housejam Freaker" gets lost down its shadowy tunnel of mirrored bass notes, skittish percussion and topsy-turvy synth pads, and never quite emerges from the 144 BPM tangle. Things only get more claustrophobic with Burns at the helm. The New Yorker hijacks a half-bar or two from Overdose's beat, draping little else than a mess of digi-choir pads over the atonal loops. Respect to Burns for doing it so raw, but it's tough to imagine this remix winning over a crowd already in the throes of such high tempos.
TracklistA1 Housejam Freaker
A2 Housejam Freaker (Willie Burns Remix)
A3 Locked Groove
A4 Locked Groove
A5 Locked Groove
B1 Dikzak
B2 Vinca
B3 Locked Groove
B4 Locked Groove