- The booming, bass-heavy house sound is a place so over-occupied it should probably be shut down by environmental health. Yet somehow, in the last 18 months, Parisian label ClekClekBoom has not only nabbed itself a space of its own, but completely redecorated with a uniquely Gallic style that owes as much to ghettotech as garage. Coni, AKA Nicolas Olier, had a hand in that: his debut EP, ClekClekBoom's second release, starred the low-end workout "Luz In Pool," which slotted neatly alongside later releases from French Fries and Bambounou with its Bashmore-channelling cowbell and whomping subs. But at some point, Olier seems to have stumbled across Paris' dance heritage; his follow-up, "My Secret Diving," owes more to DJ Deep than DJ Funk.
All three tracks are crafted for early mornings, and drape foggy reverb over bass pressure. Coni's got a recipe—kick drums rumble under hi-hats that clatter like a steel mill—and it's best deployed on "Feels Like Home," which augments the chunter with Francois X-style bass and frosty pads. Coni treads a fine line between spartan and bare, and where "Feels Like Home" tempers its severity with groove, "My Secret Diving" and "Flip" are a touch too rigid to love. The former is a loopy tool, its kicks punching through staticky pads, while the latter is like a neutered take on Jonas Kopp, where synth rolls strain against marching cymbals. Coni's new sound is functional but faceless, and misses some of the personality that's made ClekClekBoom releases so exciting.
TracklistA My Secret Diving
B1 Flip
B2 Feel Like Home