- With a reputation for craftiness, Rupert Taylor makes unpretentious party tracks as xxxy. His approach always pivots, with records that pull off electronic genres across the board. Taylor's recently been in house mode, but the results are often mixed. His best tracks burst with color and energy, rhythms that feel unbound yet perfectly polished; on his more conventional fare, Taylor's slick grooves can settle into predictable templates. His latest for Rinse, No Matter, struggles to avoid this.
The EP will do well on the dance floor, with each track locked into a satisfying pump. "Piano Touch," the track with the strongest ideas, is a suave banger with hints of acid's menace and a sexy piano line slipped into its driving beat. "Short Wave" is full of glistening arps and a soaring motion (though a similarly transient track from last year, "Over Peover," feels more epic without the bouncy thud).
"FWP" is Taylor's house throb at its driest. Sure, it's danceable, but the track's tacky turbo claps and deep bassline are unexciting. The core sounds on "No Matter" are even less original—a digital vocal synth preset and a plastic bass tone. After a lengthy, drumless build up, the track drops into a kind of cutesy electro beat. Earlier in Taylor's career, you might've said he's exploring diverse tastes, but now it sounds like the generic version of a once-inspired approach.
TracklistA1 No Matter
A2 FWP
B1 Short Wave
B2 Piano Touch