- Greta Cottage Workshop is as low-key as it is productive. Excluding its numerous digital releases, Matt Densham's label has released a baker's dozen of EPs since 2010, as well as an album of well-groomed jazzy house from Danish producer Paxton Fettel. Mudkid, AKA veteran German artist Franklin De Costa, has contributed four records—including this one—to that number. Like much of GCW's catalogue, his tracks are weighty, Midwest-inspired deep house tools gilded with luxurious melodies.
Karius Und Baktus / Prophet is in that vein, and aspects of the A-side remind me of Edinburgh producer Linkwood. Gently filtered kicks and deep, metallic chords beat the rhythm into shape, and a theremin-esque synth contracts and expands at irregular intervals. Skiffing hi-hats give "Karius Und Baktus" a second wind; a horn riff that crests in four-note swells does the same. "Prophet"'s skipping drums make it feel more nimble, but the athleticism is wayward. Where "Karius Und Baktus" runs in a straight and steady line, "Prophet" shifts its focus from one place to another. In doing so, it fails to generate the A-side's disciplined momentum.
TracklistA Karius Und Baktus
B Prophet