Richard Norris - Freaks

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  • Whether working alongside Erol Alkan as Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve, with ex-Soft Cell man Dave Ball as The Grid or in his solo cosmic disco guise The Time and Space Machine, Richard Norris has plenty of experience in creating top-notch electronic music. This, at the tender age of 49, is the first time he's releasing under his own name, and it has the feel of a key release, both for him and for the ever-reliable Throne Of Blood label. Both originals do a good job of encapsulating the imprint's low-slung, narcotic sound. The title track layers flashing synth stabs and a strong bass groove around a subtly filtered vocal that repeatedly declares that "freaks control the city, and I am one of the freaks." "Yeah" is a similarly effective exercise in dark, basement-ready house. It wraps a sighing titular vocal around shuddering bass and snappy high notes. Three excellent remixes heighten the sense of occasion. If you heard Hardway Brothers' standout 2013 Throne of Blood release A/B Musique / Shorty, then the lip-smackingly druggy direction they take the title track in will come as no surprise. Ivan Smagghe takes a completely different path on his "Freaks" rework, turning in a luxuriant, rockabilly-tinted romp soaked in swirling '60s organs, while Milan producer Brioski clears away much of "Yeah"'s intoxicated fog and illuminates the landscape with skittering keys and bass notes.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Freaks A2 Freaks (Hardway Bros Remix) B1 Yeah B2 Yeah (Brioski Remix) B3 Freaks (Ivan Smagghe Version)
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