Saturday, August 17, 2013

Report to the Dance Floor- ESQUILLE: "Rock This Club Down"




We can relax from our normal head banging around here to indulge ourselves in a new column I'm calling "Report to the Dance Floor " where we can touch on some darker and more progressive edm, and I'll also throw industrial and the more dancey Goth in here as well.

For our first installment we are featuring Swedish artist Esquille, who blew up clubs in the 90's and early 00's but is making a come back after taking a break from music. If the title track of his upcoming e.p is any indication he has still got it. This sounds like he didn't just pick up where he left off , but has blended the house music scene he came from with something that blends seamlessly with anything else a forward thinking D.J. might want to mix this next to.

He is not trying to jump on the dub-step band wagon or thrown in a bunch of breaks for edge, but incorporates a little dub-step like buzz to the bass-lines, but without harsh glitch and grind. He keeps a chill-out touch on songs like "Musica Electronica". It keeps the funky step of classic 90's era house but is smooth enough to have bumping in the background of Tron.

The bpms pick up on ever so slightly on "Don't Stop the Rhythm". It's even funkier than what I would have expected from him, taking it back to an old school Eighties post- disco feel. The album time-warps ahead on the next song as "Moven Up". It has the sheen that typifies European house music's classier sound.  There are club moments, to  get blood pumping when the song builds and drops the beat back down.

The e.p. closes with another retro funk homage in "House Thing". The guitar sounds emulated here though bring a new take on a familiar groove. His ear for finding just the right patches and sounds are what makes this album one that play in a perpetual loop and still feel fresh. His experience is evident in the production value and innate ability to create the right balance of ambiance and groove. The down time has given Esquille the chance to get back in the game with a clear head and the energy invested into the crafting of this album shows a  creative vibrancy of a much younger artist. This is recommended if you are a fan of innovative house music.  

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