Shenoda A Homage EP
Shenoda is from London. He makes tunes. Beyond that, there aren’t a whole lot of […]
Shenoda is from London. He makes tunes. Beyond that, there aren’t a whole lot of stories floating around about the UK producer, despite the fact that he’s been quietly—and steadily—dropping releases since 2006. While his music has come out on a number of different imprints over the years, Shenoda does appear to have a solid relationship with Hypercolour, which put out his On & On EP a few months back. Now, he’s returned with another EP, A Homage, for Hypercolour’s self-described “little sister” label, Losing Suki.
Heavily steeped in the traditions of UK garage—the EP is titled A Homage, after all—the three-song effort kicks off with “Flex,” a subby number propelled by a skippy beat and a punchy bassline. Propulsive and relatively linear in structure (despite the rhythm’s steady swing), the song hints at ’90s speed garage with its rolling low end, filtered synth and vocal stabs, and upbeat vibe. “Flex” is an effective tune, but it’s quickly outshined by “Every Time I Say,” a choppy, vocal-led number full of infectious vocal bits and start-and-stop melodies. It’s the kind of track that will undeniably prompt grumpier dance-music aficionados to decry its pop inclinations and recycling of a well-worn formula, but while they may have a point, it doesn’t mean that “Every Time I Say” isn’t a wonderfully sticky little song.
Somewhere in between the poles of “Flex” and “Every Time I Say” lies the EP’s final offering, “Bubbles.” It’s another production stuffed with chopped-up elements, but the vocals have been sliced into much smaller—and largely unintelligible—pieces, allowing them to largely serve as just another rhythmic element. “Bubbles” certainly has plenty of bounce, but it’s also rather tracky, the sort of record that serves more effectively as a bridge than an exclamation point. Nonetheless, it’s a quality effort, the kind of thing that Shenoda seems remarkably capable of turning out on a regular basis. Much like his work, the producer doesn’t seem to have a lots of bells and whistles, but he is quite consistent, and perhaps that’s good enough.