- Along with compatriots Anthony Naples and Huerco S., Hank Jackson was at the crest of the deluge of scuzzy house coming from New York around 2013. Initial missives for Mister Saturday Night and Proibito were built around suitably deteriorated stompers, but there was always an extra dosage of quirk in his work. Where many contemporaries used saturation as an aesthetic cloak, Jackson juxtaposed grizzled textures with flair and nuance. Although his early work showed much promise, in the intervening years he's kept his head down and refined his craft.
The wait appears to have paid off. "Gacx" feels like a Timedance production that's been left in the oven but the structure is as tracky as a minimal record. It touches on the rhythmic dexterity of "Chicken Fried Shrimp" and "Mongoos" but there's more air in the mix, retaining his signature overheated aesthetic while suggesting wider spaces than usual. The criss-crossing beat seems to turn inside-out while sizzling effects create a dynamic energy that makes the track feel like it's breathing. The minor-key pad behind it all produces a sense of resigned melancholy that's perfect for the tail-end of an intense set.
While some might overlook the B-side, its two beatless tracks foreground Jackson's knack for unique textures. At full volume, "Snake Pit" can stand toe-to-toe with a noisy Tim Hecker production, while "oebbbbbbb" conjures the calm warmth of amniotic fluid, the trickling and bubbling of water and the slush of seafoam. Jackson seems to deliberately be sidestepping the limelight with this low-key release but it's his most mature record by a clear margin.
TracklistA1 Gacx
B1 Snake Pit
B2 oebbbbbbb