- Having cut their teeth with releases on Futureboogie and Hot Natured, Waif & Strays' Amos Nelson and Rich Beanland seemed destined to join the fun going on at MadTech, such is the Bristol duo's rascally, no-nonsense brand of house music.
"Don't You Stop" is the pick, with grunting bass keys underpinning a flurry of handclaps before its headline asset, a rubbery, pitch-bent groove, steals the show. If it's aiming for big rooms—which surely it is—then it hits the bullseye. The foot comes off the gas just a tad on "Dance With Me," with whip-cracking 909 snares coupling with pinging 808 cowbells. Nelson and Beanland later push the track towards a sort of house/breaks hybrid. There is little in the way of pretension here; Waif & Strays' aim is to keep it simple, snag you with big hooks and to trust in the power of their drums.
TracklistA Don't You Stop
B Dance With Me