Ambivalent: Red Ones EP (Delft)

Ambivalent turns up on Delft for the first 12” I’ve heard from him in ages. The first track is “Red Ones (Bump Mix)” and it’s a pretty slammin’ acid workout. Not too fast, but with a hint of distortion to its rolling acid bassline while claps syncopate over a nice, thick 4/4 drum track. Much like LA-4A’s release, the second cut is trackier, less hook-based and more of a slow burn of insistent drumming and syncopation. This one is fittingly titled “Drumatix,” sounding distinctly electronic with a really fantastic bulbous bass kick and chunky stab that loops in an offset pattern. There are unusual synth zaps that sound almost like manipulated voice, which becomes as close to a hook as the track will ever have. “Cartesia” has a much more melodic side to it, a sunnier disposition that’s reflected in its bright synth leads and filtered pads, bringing the dancefloor joy in a way that is quite different from the preceding cuts, but a welcome destination.

The first and last cuts are distinctly different, one more rough and tumble and the other sunnier and warmer, and “Drumatix” in the middle is a nice bridge. Recommended for fans of slightly weirder techno and acid throwback, willing to forgo obvious hooks for the spaces between and subtly mutating patterns.

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