Dan White & Khotin - NRML017

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  • Normals Welcome is a club night and label based out of the growing metropolis of Edmonton in Northern Alberta. The city isn't exactly known for dance music, though it is home to some great DJs and artists, such as renowned selector Dane MacDonald and young up-and-comer Dylan Khotin (who is in the process of relocating to Vancouver). Last year, Khotin's Vitebsk EP signaled the label's turn towards straight-up dance floor sounds, a move that continues with forthcoming releases from the likes of Bobby Draino and Tuff Sherm. Before those records, there's this split EP from Khotin and Australian producer Dan White. Though the two artists might be geographically disparate, they make good partners, each offering up two cuts of melancholy, acid-flecked house. Both producers bathe stark, hardware-focused sounds in reverb, adding a layer of emotional depth to what are otherwise straightforward house tracks. With deeply sighing pads, White's "Grey Bishop" puts a spacey spin on a Soul People Music-style groover, while "No No No" is built with bleary chords that sound like someone absent-mindedly daubing paint onto a canvas. Both tunes are casual and smooth, gliding through the bars rather than locking into a 4/4 grid. White's tracks tend to roll right by, but Khotin's are hefty and precise. "Sorry Sequence" is the standout of the EP, methodically piling on melodies—notably, a clever acid line that uses the 303's gleaming resonance for a pretty effect—over its steady march. "AT07" sweetens the record with some bobbing hand percussion. Whether we're talking White's atmospheric touches or Khotin's deft hooks, NRML017 gives you a pretty good idea of what the Edmonton scene, and the label at the heart of it, is all about: orthodox house and techno with a personal, often evocative touch.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Dan White - Grey Bishop A2 Dan White - No No No B1 Khotin - Sorry Sequence B2 Khotin - AT07
RA