- Rock Your Body sees Stuart Li, AKA Basic Soul Unit, reprise the name Herman for a second release. Li has created music of undeniable interest with the BSU moniker, and thankfully, the same is true here. Initially, the title track is potentially irritating, with kick, bass and melody following the same program, all hitting simultaneously. It's not the usual four to the floor pattern, either. Rather, the drums are arranged in a routine stutter. In the space between, surges of small, ringing claps and single instances of their bigger, booming cousins provide a kind of loosely-enforced rhythm. When sustained pads lead to a break, and symphonic string hits join the same stuttering program, one can't help but feel captivated by the simplicity of it all.
Unhappy with the strangely arranged beats, Ukrainian upstart Vakula returns to traditional drum patterns with his take. Strangely, he also removes the orchestra, leaving his remix sounding more like an original. This time, insistent cymbals pair well with bright xylophone and steel-drum style noises. If the original comes from a concert hall, this version is from a beach. Both settings are fine with me.
TracklistA1 Rock Your Body
B1 Rock Your Body (Vakula remix)
B2 Loop 1
B3 Loop 2
B4 Loop 3
B5 Loop 4
B6 Loop 5