- "Deep" is well overused in dance music commentary, but it's too apt a descriptor of Fred Peterkin's music to avoid it. Lush and spacey since his debut as Black Jazz Consortium in 2006, the Queens producer embodied the aesthetic before it was cool and will likely keep embracing it long after trendier folks have moved on. This isn't to say that Fred P hasn't been evolving. In fact, if you've seen him DJ in the last few months, you'll have noticed that techno has become a big part of what makes him deep. His sounds are still wafting into the mix from way out, but like a burst of solar neutrinos, they're really starting to penetrate.
BQE, Peterkin's first outing for cavernous club music specialists The Corner, embodies that shift. It's still undeniably a Fred P 12-inch, but here his dive takes him farther down than light can penetrate. The ethereal pads of earlier Fred P tracks have been roughed up for "Splitting Particles," carrying twisted melodies through the tight spaces between kick drum thumps. "Tube Compression," interspersed with Rhodes flourishes, also recalls his softer side, though leaky-pipe drums and swelling electrical hums lend a sinister mood. "Storm Clouds" is all tension, with an ethereal synth sounding a single chord that refuses to budge. We finally get a little swing on "State Of No State," but a strange vocal presence and a near-absence of melody make sure you'll never feel entirely at ease.
Tracklist A1 Splitting Particles
A2 Tube Compression
B1 Storm Clouds
B2 State Of No State