Rex the Dog: Sicko (Kompakt)

I always wondered what went wrong that led to Jake Williams releasing his first full-length album on his own imprint instead of Kompakt, who released his first series of fantastic 12” records about ten years ago. Whatever the reason, they’ve reunited for this new 12” and hopefully more to follow. “Sicko” is a more sedate Rex, still operating on repetitious, steady 16th-note patterns, this time built around a vocal waveform, diced and sequenced like a weird vocoded bassline. Both cuts move at a more patient clip than some of his punchier numbers from the previous album, but his love of that steady, syncopated acid and plucky patterns of sequencing comes through clearly.

“Korgasmatron” has a sampled vocal that feels reminiscent of how he chopped up Yaz’s “Midnight” for his smashing “Bubblelicious” single in 2008.  Both deliver the goods without sounding like a repeat of Rex’s last wave of releases; here’s hoping this is the beginning of a new chapter in partnership with Kompakt to bring out the best in both sides.

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