- If you're unaware of Eric Dulan's superlative style behind the turntables, the Detroit DJ makes mincemeat out of reduced tools, turning banal loop techno into raw materials for something uniquely energetic and infectious. It's easy to view his productions as fodder for a three-deck extravaganza, but that does a disservice to the joyful forward propulsion he's been honing for 20 years as DJ Bone. M.O.M. continues in the same vein as Dulan's last Don't Be Afraid 12-inch, the first record under his Differ-Ent alias, meaning it's a pair of finely tuned bangers that are structured to reward long hauls.
The title track centres on a distorted synth figure that steadily breaks up, opens out and ping-pongs, before whipping back into a high-tensile strut with the addition of 909 hi-hats. Classic blue-eyed strings enter the fray after the first drop, and offer a plangent contrast to the crunchy surroundings. (It feels like a moment of reflection, given the track's dedication to the recent passing of Dulan's mother.) Chopped vocals in the final third recall earlier Bone favourites like "Break It Down" and "Water Slaves," rounding out a certified barnstormer and rewarding DJs patient enough to run deep into the track. The vocal cutting moves to the foreground on "The Final Driver"—ratcheting beat-repeats make a female sample stutter through the rhythmic build. Though the technique wouldn't be out of place in an EDM tune, its placement among nervous squiggles and Motor City dub chords makes for a reliable dance floor freak out.
TracklistA M.O.M
B The Final Driver