- Daniel Berman comes at deep house from his own peculiar place; his last 12-inch for his own Bergerac label found him piping Theo Parrish-style shuffling through the PA at a high school basketball game. But on his latest for Bergerac, the man we call Red Rack'Em approaches "doing things differently" in a way we haven't heard him do it yet—it's less kooky moves, more about the steps he's taking forward. Like similarly minded upstarts B-Tracks or lord-of-the-deep Fred P, the UK producer seems to have found a darkness he likes in techno that fits with the warmth he's long loved in house. What results is some of the most interesting music yet from one of the most entertaining guys in contemporary house.
You'll immediately hear the difference on the titular A-side: blasting past his usual tempos, "If Only the Past" rumbles and swells to the point that it feels like it might break apart. But Berman's typically spindly sound palate, gloriously duct-taped together as ever, actually sounds up to the challenge, pushing something weirdly fierce and triumphant through the speakers. On "I'm Alone Always," we seem to return to Red Rack'Em's typical kitchen-sink approach—I imagine all his samples coming to life Toy Story-style to socialize while the producer has his back turned—but a tiny, insistent cymbal hints at a techno core. It reveals itself fully on "Right (All Night)," whose dubby pads and soulful voice barely keep tabs on a high-impact, nearly Berghain-ready pulse. It's certainly a new look for Berman, but initial surprise aside, it rather suits him.
Tracklist A If Only The Past
B1 Alone Always
B2 Right (All Night)