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Bruno Pronsato - US Drag

    • Label /
      Foom Music
      FM012
    • Released /
      June 2017
    • Style /
      House, Minimal, Experimental
    • Comments /
      6 / View
    • Rating /
      3.8/5
    • Previous
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    Bruno Pronsato - US Drag Bruno Pronsato - US Drag
    Bruno Pronsato - US Drag Where do you go after you've perfected your craft? Steven Ford, AKA Bruno Pronsato, has been wrestling with that question since 2011's Lovers Do, an exceptional album that followed two others—The Make Up The Break Up and Why Can't We Be Like Us. All three built on the psychedelic potential of microhouse with kaleidoscopic arrangements and outré instrumentation. US Drag, Ford's first Bruno Pronsato album in six years, comes close to reaching those heights.

    Ford has always had an ear for complex, wobbly rhythms, but US Drag takes his peculiar drums to a new level of abstraction. With that comes a more stripped-down sound palette and lots of negative space. The album savours odd notes and textures. The instrumentation is Pronsato's usual mix of hard-to-place sounds—rustles, claps, soft drums—but with a particular focus on bells, which leads to a more stripped-down sound palette than usual.

    US Drag still holds close to the wide-panning drums, reverb trails and minuscule sound effects for which Bruno Pronsato records are known. There's enough detail here to seduce longtime fans. On the jazzy "Bang," a catchy bassline bounces around in the depths. "Brighter Than Her Daughter," whose drums are peripheral (as is a distant vocal from Liars' Angus Andrew), looks back to Ford's classic microhouse material. It gestures to melody, but stops short of spelling it out.

    Even as US Drag uses microhouse tools—fussy sampling, wide-open arrangements—it does away with the genre's outmoded aspects. Instead of droning repetition, there are bold strokes like the chimes on "She's Moved" or the IDM-inspired "These Brides," which recalls the deranged musicality of Aphex Twin's Syro. But in moving beyond minimal house, Ford's ideas—particularly the meandering melodies—also require patience. There are few of the club-ready payoffs of his more well-known tracks, like "The Make Up The Break Up" or "At Home I'm A Tourist," which means the album can drag at points.

    US Drag is a lateral move away from the dance floor sound of Ford's past that keeps its unique sense of groove. You could play these tracks in a set, but that doesn't feel like what they're designed for. They burst at the seams with ideas from modern classical and experimental electronic music, all fed through the woodchipper of Ford's fragmented songwriting. US Drag is a fresh perspective on Bruno Pronsato that keeps intact the best aspects of his music, proving that Ford's singular project still has a lot left to give.
    • Published /
      Sat / 17 Jun 2017
    • Words /
      Andrew Ryce
    • Share
    • Tracklist /
      01. These Brides
      02. Before What Happened, Happened
      03. She's Moved
      04. Bang
      05. Brighter Than Her Daughter feat. Angus Andrew
      06. The Wait
      07. Hands Reach Up
      08. Mine's Nineteen
      09. Neighbors In The Movies
    0/
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    Upcoming dates

    • Sat26/May 2018

      Lisbon

      Ministerium Records with Bruno Pronsato Live

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    Reviews

    • 6 comments

      Bruno Pronsato - US Drag

    • 4 comments

      Greg Brockmann & Tolga Fidan - Sweet Damage EP

    • 23 comments

      Archangel - The Bedroom Slant

    • 7 comments

      Ellen Allien - LISm

    • 9 comments

      Bruno Pronsato - Lies About Nights, Truths About Days EP

    • 44 comments

      Bruno Pronsato - Lovers Do

    • 7 comments

      Bruno Pronsato - Anybody But You

    • 8 comments

      Public Lover - Musique D'Hiver Pour L'Ete

    • 20 comments

      NDF - Since We Last Met

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      Melchior & Pronsato - Puerto Rican Girls

    • 12 comments

      Ninca Leece - Feed Me Rainbows

    • 17 comments

      Benoit & Sergio - What I've Lost

    • 55 comments

      Bruno Pronsato - The Make Up The Break Up

    • 16 comments

      Kate Simko - Take You There

    • 13 comments

      Louderbach - Shine

    • 3 comments

      Bruno Pronsato - Nobody Calls EP

    • Post a comment

      Conrad Schnitzler - 00/346 + 00/380: Mixes 1 and 2

    • 60 comments

      Bruno Pronsato - Why Can't We Be Like Us

    • 3 comments

      Bruno Pronsato - At Home I'm A Tourist

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      Seph - Voidiov EP

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      Half Hawaii - Into You

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      Baby Ford and Benno Blome - Smoke Machine

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      Louderbach - Enemy Love Remixes Part 1

    0/
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