- "One cannot expect inspiration to come easy every day," seminal micro-house producer Marc Leclair, AKA Akufen, told RA in 2011. "There are moments you have to lay back and observe what's been accomplished if you wish to move forward." With a formidable catalogue of music, including notable releases on Perlon as Horror Inc., Leclair is well established in the vanguard of Canada's minimal scene. With abstract, minimal-leaning sounds recently making a comeback, now feels like an apt moment for Leclair to resurface.
"U" juxtaposes giddy keyboard plinks with dark, brooding pads. A tame vocal cuts in unnecessarily, but an unexpected keyboard solo regroups the piece, conforming to more conventional house characteristics. "Seizure Salad," filled with infectious, choppy samples, sounds the most identifiably Akufen. "Death Of A Mascot" begins poised as an 8-bit trip, before abruptly bopping into a weird boogie in Leclair's typically playful style. The standout is "Make Bagels Not War," which moves through swooning strings that are soon joined by giddy blips, deep bells and precise two-step percussion.
TracklistA1 U
A2 Death Of A Mascot
B1 Make Bagels Not War
B2 Seizure Salad