- Francesco Del Garda is the type of DJ who has record nerds bending over backwards to ID his tracks, but his own discography is pretty thin. Seuil, on the other hand, has been releasing a consistent stream of records for a decade, generally veering to the vacuum-sealed end of the minimal house spectrum. Pin-prick sounds and isolated frequencies are hallmarks of a style that's either surgically psychedelic or terminally boring, depending on your taste, but many producers experienced in this aesthetic are moving on to something fresher. The duo's Bubble EP sounds very of the moment, with its syncopated basslines and electro leanings, two elements that are at their best when complemented by an off-beat 909 hi-hat (just check the three-minute mark in "111"). It's a combination that's increasingly prevalent in sets from DJs like Del Garda, and it almost seems that EPs like Bubble are designed as modern accompaniments to a sound rooted in various '90s niches, be it electro, proto-IDM techno or early tech house. But no matter how you trace its potential sonic lineage, the EP's overall texture and sound is modern.
Del Garda and Seuil hit all the right points here, but there's a lingering sense of things being a little sanitised. Once you hear the vinyl coming through a system, however, the tight, clinical sound design comes into its own. "222"'s dry 808 drums and bass dance with electro-esque agility, but the synth work ties it to ambient techno and deep house, while the structure and mood are resolutely minimal in character. "333" cuts a similar line, albeit with curious sonic details zipping about and a more athletic and elastic bassline. The reward comes after the break, when the kick drum returns with a 4/4 pattern, casting the other rhythms and sounds in a different light. The A-side is the swung option, combining elements from the B-side into a more linear, forward-moving package. On the whole, Bubble is a fairly unassuming record whose wonky underpinnings come to the fore in a club environment.
TracklistA1 111
B1 222
B2 333