Jimmy Edgar Mercurio
Jimmy Edgar is in a pretty enviable position. The Detroit-born, Berlin-based producer has released recordings […]
Jimmy Edgar is in a pretty enviable position. The Detroit-born, Berlin-based producer has released recordings on Warp, !K7, and Hotflush, experimenting with everything from hard-edged techno to sexually charged electro and rambunctious house, but has managed to stay relevant over the years by constantly refining his sound. Following this year’s more DJ-friendly Hot Inside EP, Edgar’s latest release is Mercurio, a new three-song EP for his own Ultramajic imprint that finds him continuing to churn out high-energy tracks that reference classic dancefloor tropes while emphasizing crisp, pristine sonics.
Lead track “Ultraviolet” launches right in, using a straightforward drum pattern and a squelchy synth riff as a vehicle for a stomping, relentless groove that feels perfectly manicured before dissolving in a haze of reverb. Edgar stretches out even further on “Qlinda,” layering a clipped vocal sample and one of his quintessential diva wails over a martial drum rhythm that swings between funky and robotic. On the flipside, Mercurio‘s title track finds Edgar mining a similar palette of drum sounds, one filled with rolling snares and long-decaying pads that sneakily work in the arrangement’s crevices. The EP may not find Edgar breaking tons of new ground, but it does prove once again that he’s fully capable of producing club tracks that can do some damage.