- Vocal-laced house to twist heads.
- "Belter" is a belter. To most, its appeal will be the vocal. The delivery is nonchalant, deadpan, nearly musical and definitely arresting. (But not exactly catchy, unless you speak Zulu.) Kamohelo Khoaripe, a South African-born photographer and frontman for the Stockholm-based group Off The Meds, is the driving force behind this distinctive house track. The production on both cuts here—there's also a Joy O remix—has a subtler charm, and may give "Belter" the legs to endure beyond being, say, a minor festival hit. (It surfaced at least as far back as last year's Sónar festival.)
While the whistling synth melody and sustained organ brighten "Belter"'s midrange, those elements percolate in an uneasy industrial atmosphere of railyard creaks and scrapes, a tension that enhances Khoaripe's calm authority. (The breakbeats give this good-versus-evil stand-off another satisfying kick.) Other DJs might tip to the dark side with Joy O's "Belly Mix," which adds a nervy bassline, chilly ambience and scribbling digital noise. The effect verges on the psychedelic. Segments of Khoaripe's utterings are chopped into subordinate loops, a chittering presence that sounds something like the devil on your shoulder. For DJs who know their way around Ableton or a CDJ, the acapella brings another opportunity to twist heads.
TracklistA1 Belter
A2 Belter (Acappella)
B1 Belter (Joy O Belly Mix)