Last Magpie - She Won't Let EP

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  • Last Magpie's moniker stems from his pick 'n' mix approach to dance music's three-decade back catalogue. His output—mostly for Hypercolour and, as here, its offshoot Losing Suki—takes in swaggering two-step, bumping New Jersey house and now, flashes of jungle. He's arguably about 12 months behind the curve, and his takes on those sounds certainly don't match the likes of Tessela or Special Request. But he does have a knack for fashioning straight-up floor shakers. Take the new VIP mix of recent Move D fabric mix highlight "Roots," which peppers Brandy's "I Wanna Be Down" acapella with whipcrack breakbeats. When the bassline wobbles into view it's devastating. Unfortunately, nothing else is quite as effective, especially "Initial," which marries trancey arpeggios to Burial-lite beats that no self-respecting producer should be touching in 2014. Opener "She Won't Let" is equally uninspiring, deconstructing its breaks á la Paul Woolford but lacking his vision. The one moment that doesn't seem entirely in thrall to other records, "Chicken Shop," is a barebones house strut, its one-note bassline ringing through lightly swung drums that clatter and crack in a Cajmere vein. It's effective precisely because of its restraint.
  • Tracklist
      A1 She Won’t Let A2 Chicken Shop B1 Initial B2 Roots Vip
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