- The Young Turks offshoot label Whities debuted nearly a year ago with the low-slung house of Terron's Whities001 EP. Its second release comes from a more familiar name: Joe Cowton. Most people would agree on the general high quality of the music Kowton has been turning out over the last few years, although the volume of primitive, sparing drum tracks he released was perhaps starting to paint him into a corner. Whities002 is the sound of him breaking out of that corner while keeping hold of the big subs and chewy melodies that made his name in the first place.
All three tracks are impressive, not to mention quite different, but the real standout is opener "Glock & Roll." Its twinkling foreground of soft keys and the titular percussion instrument blends beautifully with a looping vocal and lush, Skam-like IDM pads. It's the most lushly textured track here. The frantic hats, dubby bass rolls, pitter-patter drums and airy keys of "Bits & Pieces" see it skilfully walk the line between aqueous techno and regal house. "Doing Nothing," meanwhile, is another triumph of assimilation. Where its bleepy three-note key loop and quick smart hats are pure Detroit techno, its groaning subs and abstracted vocal snippets look back across the Atlantic to Kowton's English bass music roots. With each new direction it takes, Whities002 becomes more exciting a statement of future intent for artist and label alike.
TracklistA1 Glock & Roll
B1 Bits & Pieces
B2 Doing Nothing