This brings me back. Not to a specific time or place but to an experience. Specifically: I’m tripping on the nostalgia of sliding a record out of a plain white sleeve into your hand and having no idea what you’re about to hear or who it was that made it. You’d hope it’s good, sometimes it wasn’t but sometimes it was great, or something you’d never heard before — maybe something nobody had ever heard before.
What brings me back is this three track V/A record from First Cut. The three artists on Crossing the Red Line have a few things in common: a love for the analog sound aesthetic, I think they’re all Irish and each of their tracks take their time to get started. Tr-One is a name I know — an Irish producer I’m just insanely excited about. The music of “VCO Friday” is more electronic and twitchy than I’ve heard from him elsewhere, but with a melody that wrestles everything else to a draw. Listening to this is like sitting in a sick ward of trembling machines when they get their first hit of electricity for the morning. Giles Armstrong’s “Uncle Bulgaria” is another great track, built around a galloping electro thump, a pulse that sets the foundation for sharp chords that chisel a simple but devastatingly effective riff. Wrapping it up is Reflection Port Assembly with the sonically gorgeous and glistening “Tranquilo(Liquid Mix),” inspired by the best of Drexiya and the headiest of heady Detroit techno.
⚪️ Tracklisting
V/A: Crossing The Red Line EP (10b) (First Cut / 12" Vinyl)
1. Tr-One - VCO Friday (05:49)
2. Giles Armstrong - Uncle Bulgaria )06:07)
3. Reflection Port Assembly - Tranquilo (Liquid Mix) )06:53)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement
This record was submitted as a promo.
5 Mag Issue 207
Out Now
TIME CAPSULE: This was originally published in 5 Mag Issue #207 featuring Joyce Muniz’s Zeitkapsel, Fred Everything, how to save a landmark, the AI that is eating streaming alive, Conrad Colson, LF System and more. Help keep our vibe alive and our shine bright by becoming a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right away!
