John Osborn - Desire Is Mono

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  • Reviewing the last TANSTAAFL record in November 2012, Angus Finlayson called the label "a buy-on-sight proposition for anybody interested in trans-European body music of the highest pedigree." High praise considering that was only the third release. Since then, though, TAANSTAAFL has laid dormant, as bosses October and John Osborn switched their attentions to the blossoming sub-label TANSTAAFL PLANETS. Reviving the imprint, almost two and a half years later, is Osborn's Desire Is Mono. In terms of quality, the label pretty much picks up where it left off. Both tracks are fiercely dance floor-focussed, and draw generously from both techno and house. The title cut is the most striking, lashing a winding analogue melody and spectral pads to thundering kicks. As the synths twist and turn, so the track's percussive energy is ramped up, creating a straight peak-time banger. The drums on "FX06" are just as hard-hitting, though the track's overall vibe is less intense. Gravelly croaks and snares ride a surging bassline, which all falls away around the two-minute mark into a gently swirling cloud of sub-bass funk and rhythmic pitter-patter. When the tracks breaks for a second time, Osborn slips in a luminous three-note melody, lending the closing moments a mystical, emotive feel.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Desire Is Mono B1 FX06
RA