It's been difficult to see how Chicago house would fare in a world dominated by cold, glitch-dominated soundscapes. Sure, there's a similarly synthetic methodology, but one only has to listen to a few moments of a Derrick Carter set to realize that Chicago and minimal are worlds apart. Unfortunately, it's seems like in many ways that the city's signature sound has gone backwards—forever ploughing the jazzy, boompty house furrow. There are rays of light, however, and one of the brightest is Siteholder, which has stayed in touch with dance floor developments and yet stays true to its roots. Like Dirtybird, Siteholder simultaneously bangs with a future-centric sound and pays tribute to what has come before.
Brian Ffar's second release is the latest to showcase this balls-y Chicago sound. His original here is a dark funk-fuelled bopper with a vocal sample straight from the sleaze box. This is music that, while avoiding the darkness that has plagued a lot of similarly produced tracks in recent years, still manages to sound like it means business with an insistent kick and a clean edge to the synths. The Donk Boys remix goes in a different direction from the original, but is a bit too agitated and scatty for its own good.
Pan- Pot's bass-heavy groove is the spaciest thing on offer here and it works wonderfully well thanks to a bass kick, a percussive rattle and a noise that sounds like a large metal door swinging shut. For digital lovers, there's also an exclusive track by Siteholder stalwart Tyrone that falls somewhere in between the original and the Donk Boys remix. It keeps the sleaze, but adds some skittishness. It's a good combination, but doesn't hold a candle to the original or the Pan-Pot remix.
Brian Ffar's second release is the latest to showcase this balls-y Chicago sound. His original here is a dark funk-fuelled bopper with a vocal sample straight from the sleaze box. This is music that, while avoiding the darkness that has plagued a lot of similarly produced tracks in recent years, still manages to sound like it means business with an insistent kick and a clean edge to the synths. The Donk Boys remix goes in a different direction from the original, but is a bit too agitated and scatty for its own good.
Pan- Pot's bass-heavy groove is the spaciest thing on offer here and it works wonderfully well thanks to a bass kick, a percussive rattle and a noise that sounds like a large metal door swinging shut. For digital lovers, there's also an exclusive track by Siteholder stalwart Tyrone that falls somewhere in between the original and the Donk Boys remix. It keeps the sleaze, but adds some skittishness. It's a good combination, but doesn't hold a candle to the original or the Pan-Pot remix.
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Published /
Sun / 1 Feb 2009 -
Words /
Paul Corey -
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Tracklist /
A Billy Bought a Laser (Original)
B1 Billy Bought a Laser (Pan-Pot remix)
B2 Billy Bought a Laser (Donk Boys remix)
Digital: Billy Bought a Laser (Tyrone remix)
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