Saturn V / X2 – Rhythm Relics

  • Share
  • Nation's newest release comes from a trio well-known for their preservation of the Chicago sound: Melvin Oliphant, AKA Traxx, Tadd Mullinix, AKA James T. Cotton, and D'Marc Cantu, AKA himself. More so than its contemporaries, it's a record that sounds truly vintage. On the B-side, all three producers come together under the X2 moniker for "Modem," a gloomy cut driven by grainy yet rubbery bass and electro-tinged bleeps. The two marry expertly, twining through the track's length like DNA and filling one another's blanks. Though the bleeps can at first seem strangely placed, their stabby interruptions add character and make more sense as time goes on. Old-school hats, snares and toms complete the package. Super low-pitched vocals are a conceivable downer, but they're soft, indistinct and sparse. "The Fresh Heir" sees Cantu sitting out, but a similar aesthetic pursued. Funky bass again jumps in bed with bleeps. This time, however, the higher-pitched sounds can begin to grate, with a squeaky, shrill quality. More problematic is an organ introduced in the second half, which fights for space with the other elements and sits uncomfortably until it's given room to breathe later on. Most modern music is too technically polished to be convincingly vintage. "The Fresh Heir" genuinely sounds like a relic of that time when machine-noise was still a novelty in itself, and composition could be judged less harshly.
  • Tracklist
      A Saturn V – The Fresh Heir B X2 – Modem
RA