David Scuba—Mr C‘s long-term partner in crime, Superfreq co-founder and NYC-hailing DJ don—brings a slice of intricate, interwoven polyrhythms in his latest EP, Low Toro, eschewing formulaic trends for an innovative approach to the dancefloor. The release’s opening track, “Everything,” boasts a trajectory that combines thumping kick drums, eerie vocal atmospherics, chanting FX and sweeping sub bass, but the real key to the track is its swing—there’s plenty of bounce between notes and those crisp, crunchy floor-breaking beats. Its the sub bass, though, that makes “Everything” seem subdued, and slightly clipped and restrained. Next up is “Not Franc, fusing more springy grooves, sharp swing and uplifting tones. Wobbling, descending and gut-shaking sub bass, industrial percussion tones and sweeping atmospherics keep the track moving, while chiming bell-like synths and haunting vocal samples allow the tracks structure to bleed from the outer edges.
However, it’s the stellar remixes on Low Toro that offer the most reward, with Pattern Drama taking on the first rerub of “Everything.” Keeping the eerie atmospherics firmly in check, he goes for a slower electro-boogie workout, with popping percussion laid atop wide slabs of sub bass and resonating till the drop, amounting to a wholly original, captivating remix that adds a new level of sheen to the original. Finally, there’s Finley‘s take on the track. His murkier reinterpretation works 808 pressure and percussion into a woozy, off-kilter and fluctuating techno rhythm. It ducks, dives and shifts from note to note, while layer upon layer of percussive nuances fill in the gaps between beats as the track progresses.
Dance music’s current shift from the confines of uniform “deep house” into the world of tech- and progressive modes is gaining pace faster than a download time for a VST plug-in—and Superfreq’s focus on the hazy fringes of the dancefloor continues to be a welcome addition to the landscape.
