- Samuel André Madsen may have parted ways with his drum kit in 2006 to make way for 1210s and a mixer, but his knack for percussion never left him. The Danish producer is at his best when he's crafting rhythms, and they make his tracks a good deal more evocative than they might seem on paper. After debuting on Tartelet last year with some pretty standard sample-house, he's gone a little techy for the Moodsy EP, his Nsyde debut.
It's not a perfect record, but Madsen plays to his strengths. "Northwest Cave" kicks off with a spacious, "Silent State"-esque stomp punctuated by a cowbell line imbued with the sort of detail you'd imagine only a trained percussionist could bring. Madsen's beat constantly morphs and modulates, but his melody—just three descending chords—feels comparatively static and underdeveloped. "Moodsy"'s melody isn't vastly more complex, but it employs a devastating trick: Madsen milks one chord for nearly the whole track, so when he finally lifts up the pedal and releases the remainder of the chord progression, your hands fly upward almost reflexively. On their "Northwest Cave" remix, Acid Test alums Achterbahn D'Amour unleash rhythms more knotted up than Madsen's, but their drum sounds aren't nearly as engaging. Luckily, they bring a gooey acid in around the halfway mark that'll have you in the palm of their hand regardless.
Tracklist A Northwest Cave
B1 Moodsy
B2 Northwest Cave (Achterbahn D'Amour Remix)