- UK-based Frenchman Robin Ordell is a stalwart of London promoters Half Baked, who have been a feature of the capital's Sunday club scene for half a decade. Ordell is not the most prolific producer, preferring to concentrate on DJ duties, but three years ago he created a mild kerfuffle with "The Show," a slice of bouncy deep house that neatly sampled a Moodymann dialogue from his RBMA lecture.
His latest EP, however, struggles to reach the same heights. Ordell has a penchant for meandering, fluid grooves, but he's just a little too enthusiastic in his deployment of them in places. They feel overly long, as if he's trying to create extended run-outs for DJs rather than editing the track down to its essence.
That said, he certainly knows how to create an addictive bassline, as the wobbling, rubbery example on "Five Majors" shows. "Nobody Loves Bishopsgate" isn't a quantum leap forward from the lead track; the percussion crackles and the watery bassline bumps in all the right places, but it outstays its welcome as it heads into its eighth minute. Vera's remix strips away the percussion, replacing it with eerie twitterings, hi-hat vignettes and odd discordant rumbles, which instantly make it more interesting. "Kosma" sees Ordell delving into the UK garage playbook. Snares skip like a kid ODing on sugar, and a prodding bassline and truncated vocal sample make it the most entertaining of Ordell's three productions.
TracklistA1 Five Majors
A2 Nobody Loves Bishopgate
B1 Nobody Loves Bishopgate (Vera Remix)
B2 Kosma