- Obstacle Records is a new label for UK dance reboots from established artists working anonymously. The producer behind its debut EP goes by the name OBI, and the style under the microscope is 2-step garage. Its elements—ample sub-bass, twitchy percussion, spare but soulful synth work—are reproduced with facility and flair but not too much concern for history. Garage sounded rowdier the first time around; this restrained, tracky variant should play well with contemporary house and techno DJs.
OBI has clearly lavished attention on the percussion. "Midnight Hour" is peppered with backmasked kick drum edits and 32-note drills, as if the drums are trying, and repeatedly failing, to fidget their way out of the grid. Hi-hats twitch unevenly, sometimes describing stuttering arcs through the air. We briefly stumble into a 4/4 beat at the midpoint, but OBI quickly brings things back into line. "Trying To Sleep" is sassier, thanks to the pert chords that dart in and out of its airless groove. The lush soul pads of the A-side appear, but they're wilted and misshapen, lying about the place like deflated balloons.
Another masked mystery, Funk Head wraps things up with a "Lost In Tijuana" remix of "Midnight Hour." This time broken beat is in the crosshairs; the track's worn-smooth breakbeat and reedy top-end suggest a lost relic from 15-odd years ago. It's an intriguing end to an EP poised between revision and revival.
TracklistA1 Midnight Hour
B1 Trying To Sleep
B2 Midnight Hour (Funk Head Lost In Tijuana Mix)