Chesus - Decisions

  • Share
  • Chesus' tracks have a tendency to undermine good ideas with lazy deep house tropes. "Decisions" has a crushing techno groove, its kicks and hats ringing in chasmic space, but any interest evaporates under the scorching blast of a jazzy guitar and a vocal loop that may as well have Deep House Samples Vol IV stamped on it. "Beyond Corruption"'s sample is also poorly considered. MF Doom's rendition of William Saroyan's poem "A Word of Advice" was stirring when it opened Doomilation, but here the disconnect between its depth and the track's flippant, if rump-shaking, groove only draws attention to the cliché of throwing a spoken word vocal on a house track, a tired shorthand for profundity. The collaborations fare slightly better. "Monster," which features Kofi Tarri, is strongest when the pair dials back on the dusty funk loops (complete with vinyl crackle), and instead let a neatly engineered drum pattern play out unadorned. "Thunder and Lightning," which sees Chesus hook up with long-time 4lux producer the Organ Grinder, is by some distance the EP's strongest moment (if you can get over the vocal baubles), with a lithe low-end that bubbles beneath reverb-soaked piano. House music needn't be smart, but Decisions is let down by a willingness to follow the most obvious path.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Decisions A2 Monster feat. Kofi Tarris B1 Beyond Corruption B2 Thunder Lightning feat. The Organ Grinder
RA