xxxy - You Gotta Do You

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  • Manchester producer xxxy and London-based Orca Recordings are both reliable for intricate tracks heavy on the melody, encrusted with all sorts of shiny and reflective jewels. And while the A-side of their first collaboration isn't a full-on bliss-out, it builds up to one hell of a climax. "Open Your Eyes" prefers smoothly juggled amen breaks over cartwheeling arpeggios, and the effect once they finally break loose is ecstatic. I'm talking the most gorgeous moments of Good Looking and the most 'edrushing heights of No U-Turn here, squashed into a 140bpm template. Every sound is wrung dry for every ounce of regenerating moisture, and in the song's headiest section even the previously mumbled vocal sample opens up into a lengthy gasp. Imagine a chemically-enhanced garden blooming slow-motion in full-spectrum splendour and you've got the idea. Orca have gone for the true A/B dichotomy here and chosen a chunky 130 BPM house track to back "Open Your Eyes." The tracks clearly have divergent objectives, but compared to "Open," "You Gotta Do You" feels fatally tracky with its perpetual ticking, weirdly compressed snares and barking vocal sample. It's the kind of thing that makes a fine bridge whereas "Open Your Eyes" would bust a set wide open—so maybe it's just a case of having the best of both worlds on one 12-inch.
  • Tracklist
      A You Gotta Do You B Open Your Eyes
RA