Derek Plaslaiko - XOXO, NYC

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  • Fresh from remixing Ali Perc, Derek Plaslaiko releases his debut record on the label, and it's an impressive start. Plaslaiko has been around for a while and clearly has a deep knowledge of music. You can hear it on "Raw Jam," where he uses old school cowbells and claps as the basis for an unforgivingly dark bassline that's equal parts hardcore, bleep'n'bass and EBM. Maybe the final comparison is most fitting because, despite its intensity, "Raw Jam" isn't fast, but instead lumbers along, almost like a modern day interpretation of body music. "The Glass Bead Game" is less impressive: Here Plaslaiko deploys a strong, buzzing bassline, but it doesn't quite gel with the subtle, Detroit melodies that flicker in the background. Perc have chosen their remixers wisely: Samuli Kemppi does a fine job of beefing up "Glass Bead." Using the kind of resonating vocals that featured on his recent Komisch EP with thundering claps, he gives the original the firepower it lacked. Meanwhile, Jonas Kopp takes on "Jam": upping the tempo and focusing on a straighter dance floor techno approach, the Argentinean takes the bass out of the foreground. Despite this, it remains a constant, simmering away in the background, and like Plaslaiko's own imminent recognition, ready to explode at any moment.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Raw Jam (Jonas Kopp Remix) A2 Raw Jam B1 The Glass Bead Game B2 The Glass Bead Game (Samuli Kemppi Remix)
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