Is there still such a thing as a word-of-mouth success? Korean Berliner Hunee has put out a mere three releases, yet is frequently spoken of in reverent tones in, and around, the German capital. The whispers until recently had emanated principally from his highly cultivated DJ shows, but EPs for Feel Music, W.T. and Internasjonal have now shifted the focus upon Hunee "the producer." Appearing here on Quarion and Hauke Freer's vinyl-only Retreat imprint (which itself has been building up a healthy head of steam in recent months), Hunee deposits a multifarious three track bundle at the crossroads between house and disco.
"Foundation" appears to be the palpable DJ pleaser of the trio, thanks to a curt doubled-up low end, bongos bursts and skulking tremolo synths. Although the diva-esque vocal cries could be seen as the discernible feature, the cut's real clout lies in an uneasy staccato groove, ceaselessly alluding to a restless onward propulsion. The Afrobeat flavoured "Barrio Payment" could be summed-up thusly: percussion; and lots of it. A sticky sweet marimba melody plays hide and seek with a scrappy Detroit synth chord, discovering each other as the track reaches its mid-range battering conclusion. Perhaps the fairest of them all, though, is the slow burning twilight groove of "Amiadar." Recalling Mark E's impossibly low-slung numbers of recent months, the cut glistens with contemplative strings, seedy ambient breaths and generous lashings of late night synthesis; like the final fuzzy stand before the Valium kicks in.
While an emerging talent may still enjoy an incubation period based on verbal exchanges, bring what Hunee has to the table on recent releases and it will only be so long they go viral.
Published /
Tue, 03 Nov 2009
Tracklist: Hunee - Barrio Payment
A1 Foundation
B1 Barrio Payment
B2 Amiadar | 
