- Singapore doesn't have the sort of afterhours cache Europe does, but promoter Midnight Shift sees no reason why this should be the case: organizing late-night, invite-only events where guests like KiNK and Surgeon often go unannounced until kickoff, Midnight Shift has started to build a reputation beyond the southeast Asian metropolis it calls home. Their new label arm should certainly help. The First Shift smartly pairs an established producer, Basic Soul Unit, with a relatively unknown local named Eddie Niguel. But while the former's name might prompt you to grab the record off the shelf, the latter's tracks might be what gets it out of the shop in your hands.
Basic Soul Unit's contributions are in no way a weak link: Toronto's Stuart Li is as solid as ever on "Late Night Shift" and "Black Ice," two characteristically epic and subtly aggressive burners. Li isn't at his most distinctive here—Dolly and Nonplus nailed down his choicest material over the last year or so—but he's certainly taken the label's long-past-midnight origins to heart, delivering cuts equally ravey and pitch black. Niguel's B-sides are a bit less adventurous, but their directness draws you in. Straightforwardly percussive with just a squiggle of piano melody, "Paths" recalls BSU in his early days. "Absolute," with its heavy synth top-end, stops just short of overdoing it at points, but Niguel seems to know just the right moment to pull back and reset the build.
TracklistA1 Basic Soul Unit - Late Night Shift
A2 Basic Soul Unit - Black Ice
B1 Eddie Niguel - Paths
B2 Eddie Niguel - Absolute