- There are very few surprises in house and techno. And that's fine. The two genres are built on functionality. Solid beats, made for dancing. That's why when a record comes along that doesn't quite fit the norm, it's regarded as a small revelation. youANDme's Break Down isn't a revelation. But it seems as though the duo—Two_EM and el loco—might have it in them based on these two tracks.
"Jackbox" starts rather straight, and rarely veers from its 4/4 path, but they start to pick up things as they go along. By the track's end, you'll be wondering how that malfunctioning snare drum, bass that drops further than it has any right to and an epic breakdown got there. The latter is the moment of disruption that I can't help but love: As they bring up a piano chord in that same way that so many producers do, gearing up for the beat to return and restore order, what sounds like a skronking sax turns up for just a moment instead. And then, a moment later, they bring the beat back in like they're supposed to.
youANDme return to the sax later on, but its initial appearance is disorienting—a shock to the system that also occues on B-side "You Love." It similarly drops its (syncopated) beat. But this time we're met with an unexpected soul singer and his anguished moan. "You Love" seems like it would be almost comically hard to dance to when placed in a straight house set based on my listens from home, but there's a certain jacking insistence that it—and its predecessor—have that make me anxious to hear it out. Hopefully there will be plenty of DJs adventurous enough to play it.
Tracklist A You Love
B Jackbox