- Compared to recent Aus offerings, which have dabbled in house's sterner waters, Linda's Theme is raucous. Of course Tom Demac's no stranger to chest-bruising bass or a grinning vocal sample. His Hypercolour breakthrough, "Critical Distance Pt 2," was a swampy sub-troubler built for sweat-drenched basements. He's since veered away from anything too bonkers, but for his solo Aus debut (Will Saul previously released a collaboration with Will Samson) it's good to see him deliver something grin-inducing.
Alongside the bulbous bass you'd expect, Demac shows some natty percussion programming chops, too. The title track is riddled with snares and timpani that swing across an irrepressible house stomp, with each vocal breakdown building through a crescendo of jazzy fills before the thud starts again. "Vocoder's Revenge" takes a similar tack, although this time the vocals are a mess of incoherent growls and gurgles pinned to a sub that crashes over the first beat of the bar. Again, the drums sound human, with the occasional swung hit tempering the kick's incessant march. That rhythmic playfulness is less apparent on "Days With Poly," where a vocal scats and pads roil around it. Linda's Theme shows that house doesn't need to be po-faced to make a serious impact.
TracklistA Linda's Theme
B1 Vocoder's Revenge
B2 Day's With Poly