The beginning of 2011 had been considerably quiet for Mosca, but in the past few months, the UK producer has stepped out with a handful of impressive releases, including the XLR8R-picked “Done Me Wrong” b/w “Bax” for Numbers, followed by a free EP to commemorate attaining 5,000 Twitter followers, and now, he’s added a four-track EP for Martyn’s 3024 imprint, Wavey.
Always a bit of a shape-shifting artist, the Wavey EP once again finds Mosca doing something different, this time showcasing four (three on the vinyl, plus one digital-only) house-infused techno rollers that focus on rhythms and patterns more than melodic ideas and chord progressions. From the onset, the audio offered here is of the most absolutely pristine and detailed quality, to a point where its clean execution is almost unreal. The highs are crisp and clear, while the lows are punchy and warm without even the slightest trace of murk, and it’s these sonic characteristics that prove to be the record’s most rewarding aspect. The EP’s tracks seem to play into this idea, almost as if they were pieced together specifically to show off Mosca’s expert production chops.
There is no doubt that the record’s aim is entirely fixed on the club, with each track clocking in at well over five minutes and building in a mix-oriented fashion. Opening cut “Dom Perignon” is a deep, half-time excursion that approaches dub-techno territory with its delayed chord stabs and intricate percussion pilings, while the following two efforts, “Ja?ger” and “Orange Jack,” are more aggressive undertakings which bury inklings of soul-tinged, Detroit-indebted techno beneath their precise sheen and space-age FX. It’s a shame that the final offering, “Wray & Neph,” is available only in digital form, as it may very well be the Wavey EP’s most memorable outing. Beginning with a thick arpeggio and a few looped electric-piano-sounding chords, the tune quickly morphs into a seemingly bottomless piece of rolling techno which evokes the passion of a tribal, underground club track, but with the jaw-dropping sonic precision Mosca seems to have no trouble bringing to life.
Although the Wavey EP is definitively different from all other Mosca releases, to say it was a step in a new direction would be untrue when, really, all of Mosca’s offerings have occupied themselves with a new focus and aesthetic. This latest outing is simply another stopping point on the man’s yet-to-be-charted career map, and one that continues to prove Mosca is capable of taking on most any corner of the larger bass-music world. At this point, the talented producer can simply let his own imagination and musical inclinations dictate where he ends up next.
