- When we spoke to Raresh about [a:rpia:r], the label he manages with fellow Romanians Rhadoo and Petre Inspirescu, he told us that he simply releases the music that's "emotional for my friends and me." Many of the tracks on [a:rpia:r] are certainly emotional, particularly the ones from Petre Inspirescu, Thomas Melchior and Ricardo Villalobos. The music Raresh puts out through his own Metereze label, though, is even more so. Its first three releases—by Dubtil, MP and Barac—all had something the average Romanian house track doesn't have: hooks. These hooks weren't obvious, usually nothing more than a strange sample or bleep liberally looped and manipulated—but they injected a sense of feeling that eludes a lot of bare-bones house. Unlike most minimal, the focus wasn't on the percussion and bass, but rather on what's happening up top.
Metereze's latest release comes from a Bucharest-based producer called Melodie. Echo Rhythm EP appears to be his first solo release, but it doesn't sound like a debut. Its three tracks are polished, subtle and perfectly made for DJ use. Like some of the best stripped-back house, the mood is ambiguous, at once gloomy and euphoric. "Acid Sunday" is a case-in-point. It pairs mellow acid squelches with dubby, rolling percussion, resulting in one of the finest after-hours cuts you'll hear this year. "Rhythmico" and "Justa" are similarly moving but have a darker tinge. Raresh is a master DJ, so it's little surprise that his label has dished out another release that other minimal-minded selectors will drool over.
TracklistA1 Acid Sunday
A2 Rhythmico
B1 Justa