- At first glance, the romantic (and often eccentric) stylings of Pépé Bradock feel at odds with Acid Test. Recondite and Tin Man's releases on the label veered towards the somber and nocturnal, but "Lifting Weights" starts with a house shuffle so peppy it sounds spring-loaded. From those introductory bars we're shuttled at breakneck speed through the weird world of Bradock, where up is down and house music means abstract sound collage.
With chords straight out of early Aphex ambient techno, the track is uplifting in a very Pépé way. The acid line pushes the track forward, riffing on a phrase but rarely letting the squelch dominate. In both tracks, the acid synths aren't the defining element—not quite an afterthought, but an undercurrent. "Mujeres Nerviosas" is all stormy skies to its counterparts' sunny vistas. One minute it's lo-fi house, the next minute he's shoving filter disco into the fray, and in the last section it's stomach-churning techno, all while he tries to make the 303 sound as atonal as possible. Frankly, it's a mess—a fate that the more charming "Lifting Weights" somehow manages to avoid.
TracklistA Lifting Weights
B Mujeres Nerviosas