Paul Woolford “Orbit”/”MDMA”
The producer unveils another summertime piano-laden banger.
Over the course of his storied career, we’ve come to expect quality and eclecticism from dance-production mastermind Paul Woolford, the man who’s brought us neoclassics like “Erotic Discourse” and more recently, jungle-influenced tunes under his Special Request alias. With his latest two-track release for Hotflush, “MDMA”/“Orbit,” Woolford comes through again, utilizing left-field sonics and drum-intensive programming to create forceful songs that will undoubtedly be yielding some special clubland moments.
The title track, “MDMA,” starts off with a sharp flurry of hi-hats before diving into a slamming piano riff punctuated with thunderous drums. Akin to his 2013 Hotflush chart-topper “Untitled”, which packed dancefloors well past the summertime, “MDMA” lumbers into a thick and heavy groove, subtly working in tender female vocal samples between heavy keys and pumping peak-time percussion for a similar blissful experience. “Orbit” closes out the release, keeping the drum-heavy aesthetic but dialing back the tempo and intensity in favor of leaner and more stripped-back atmospherics.