- The first solo EP from a master of subtle grooves.
- A new Lazare Hoche record is usually a big occasion. Most of the French producer's tunes are familiar to his dedicated fanbase by the time they arrive in record stores. A favourite of closely watched acts like Zip and Raresh, Lazare Hoche's tracks are passed between top minimal-minded DJs long before they come out, prime material for the heady parties and afterhours they soundtrack. Following a handful of popular releases as part of Mandar (with Malin Genie and S.A.M.), Time Guard is the French artist's first official solo EP. Any fans of his previous output will find a lot to like, because reduced house music doesn't get much classier.
Time Guard is the kind of record that works best a few hours after peak-time, when the dance floor is full and everyone's plans for the next day are cancelled. Sunlight might be creeping through the cracks in the windows, but that doesn't mean much—the only thing that matters is groove, which tracks like these keep going, going and going. "Maths" is the leaner option, a driving drum track with only a few bleeps for colour. Even so, it's the kind of thing that keeps dazed dancers locked into a set, rolling with just the right amount of swing. "Time Guard" is more emotional. It features another dead-eye groove, but the atmosphere above the beats is thicker, livened by whispered vocals that float across the mix. Anyone who's spun to a party past its 12th hour will see the power in this EP, a considered pair of tracks from a producer who understands the power of subtle grooves.
TracklistA Time Guard
B Maths