- Compared to the intimate "tea and slippers" approach of Hamburg's prominent Dial/Smallville axis, Manuel Tur's take on deep house, while often slinking along with slow tempos and a large side of melancholy, is bigger, more muscular, and generally more floor-friendly. For the 12th release on the veteran Essen producer's Mild Pitch imprint, it's more or less business as usual. Clocking in at almost nine minutes, "About to Fall" thumps along a heady groove lined with long strands of feedback and spotted with plaintive vocals that, fortunately, never overstay their welcome. Halfway through, the track gains intensity with some ray-gun effects that push toward a mellow yet satisfying peak.
While "About to Fall" relies on emotional atmospherics brought to a near-boil, the shorter untitled track on the flip fills up space with chunky drums and hissing cymbals. There are no vocals this time around, and no big drop in the middle, either. Instead, there's a knotted mess of synths that twists to and fro and back into itself throughout the track. Taken together, it all ends up sounding too linear, and I have a feeling that club-goers will be more inclined to put their hands up for "About to Fall."
Tracklist A About to Fall
B Untitled