- What is it about slow house that's so appealing exactly? Perhaps it's the space between the beats. (All the better for finding new dance moves.) Maybe it's the fact that it's perfectly suited to the surprisingly difficult warm-up DJ slot. (Or even home listening.) Then again, it could just be that we've exhausted the possibilities of slightly more up-tempo four-to-the-floor templates. (Doubtful, but OK.) Whatever the case, there's clearly been a renaissance somewhere between 105 and 120 BPM over the past few years with Mark E, The Revenge, Cottam and many others.
On their debut 12-inch for Delusions of Grandeur, Trickski enter the fray, crafting two tracks of patient house music. Even the vocal on the aptly named "The Warm Up" is pitched down to Marc Houle levels as it slowly builds itself into a lather. It takes nearly five minutes, but Trickski get there, with a dub-inflected riff and funk-laden bassline in tow. "Sun Beams in the Sky" is more immediately gripping, with what sounds like Matthew Dear repeating the title over a distended choir beneath him. Instrumentally, the track follows its title as well, with bright, quavering synths and clean drum programming.
Frankfurt's CB Funk is called in for the remix of "The Warm Up," and like his work with Arto Mwambe, it's an old school affair with the sort of claps, snares and basslines that you'd expect from someone that carts around a massive amount of gear to his live shows. Funk leaves the vocals for another day and inserts a sweet melodic breakdown into the middle, inserting a bit of "Sun Beams"' cheery mood into the proceedings. It's among the best things on this strong 12-inch.
Tracklist A The Warm Up
B1 Sun Beams in the Sky
B2 The Warm Up (CB Funk Remix)