- Subtle tech house for intimate dance floors.
- UK tech house past and present meet on A Matter Of Time, the latest EP from Laura Jones. Remixing "Pathway," one of two tunnelling originals, is 100 Hz, a legendary project recently revived by Lee Renacre. Renacre's remix is the most ethereal cut on the plate, turning in a seven-minute slow-burner with a stuttered rhythm, plus voices, keys and percussion that move around the stereo field. A few years ago, 100 Hz remixing Jones, a former Visionquest and Crosstown Rebels affiliate with a taste for soaring melodies, would have been unlikely. But it's a great match for Jones's streamlined new aesthetic, which sounds like what happens after a life-changing experience on a Romanian dance floor.
The originals are bottom-heavy house loops with a smattering of psychedelic effects. "Tough Crowd," the pick of the EP, has the kind of melody that can lock in a dance floor. A twangy riff—is it a synth, a xylophone or something else?—is the focal point, a subtle but clever element that gives an otherwise moody track a positive twist. The bouncier "Pathway" also pairs sparse, greyscale elements with flecks of cheery melody, this time a hyperactive series of synth notes that float above the mix. A Matter of Time is a functional EP with character, and perhaps Jones's smartest yet.
Tracklist01. Pathway
02. Pathway (100Hz Remix)
03. Tough Crowd