- How much mileage can you get out of three chords and a couple of low toms? In the case of Eamon Harkin and Steve "OneAuff" Raney, quite a lot. "Workin' & Steamin'," the lead track off the duo's second EP for Throne Of Blood, is the very picture of simplicity, with a pattering drum machine groove threaded through a minor-key chord progression. What makes it work is the way two sets of chords circle each other warily, striking an understated tension that blows as wide as the horizon through a big set of speakers. That uneasy relationship between the synths is only magnified by the bookending vocals, catching the listeners in a vice between full-throated baritone and a steam-whistle falsetto response.
"Shakes On" is less dramatic, and if anything, it's even simpler—essentially, a two-chord affair, although careful filtering and voicing keep it from feeling static, and breezy 909 snares give it plenty of punch. Moody deep house in a KMS vein, it ticks all the right boxes—including unusually skillful EQing and sound design. Naum Gabo (Optimo's Jonny Wilkes and James Savage) carve out a percussive foundation and downsample the synths, sparking queasy, bitcrushed harmonics and a glittery stomp reminiscent of classic Kompakt and Speicher records.
Tracklist01. Workin & Steamin
02. Shakes On
03. Shakes On (Naum Gabo Remix)