Ikonika - Ikonoklast

  • Published
    Jan 5, 2011
  • Words
    Resident Advisor
  • Label
    HDB042
  • Released
    December 2010
  • Genre
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  • Ikonika's "Ikonoklast," the strong opener to Contact, Love, Want, Have, has good reason to head its own EP: The tune quickly grabs your attention with its prismatic melody, its dalliance with dubstep, funk, and gluey Arabic hooks that work the ends of phrases like level-up sounds from a yesteryear video game. Joh's remix is a poor, skeletal and bass-less figure. It endlessly stutters and never develops. Beneath its tom-tom frame are references to the signatures of bass music. But they never seem quite loud enough. Funkeneven remixes "Idiot" to better effect, making liberal use of the bejeweled synthetics that crown Contact. A wide snare takes charge and thwacks and rings with 8-bit three-oscillator leads and pads. It's a disco-step treat and a worthy recreation of the nostalgic original. On "Yoshimitsu," untouched from the sterling album version, FM sweeps and a starry lead meet over a few relaxed kick taps and finger snaps. It's nothing new, but it's welcome here, again. In the rapidly crisscrossing and populous word of dubstep and UK garage, Ikonika is distinct far enough beyond her peers to not worry about drowning in a wave of Shackleton clones. Where James Blake is making the London sound his academic arena, she's turning it into an after-school jam session.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Ikonoklast (Insert Coin) A2 Idiot (Funkineven remix) B1 Yoshimitshu B2 Ikonoklast (JOH remix)
RA