Thomas Xu - Places In Time

  • Unconventional Detroit house music.
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  • When you think of Detroit house you likely think of uplifting, sample-based jams like Norm Talley's "Change" or Terrence Parker's "Your Love." But the flip side to the warm, soulful, beatdown sound is something more exploratory and alien. Many of Marcellus Pittman's productions feel like a cubist interpretation of classic house, while Theo Parrish's discography is littered with freeform flights like "Love Triumphant." Along with soulful nostalgia, there is a consistent yearning for the futuristic. The fledgling Sound Signature affiliate Thomas Xu has doubled-down on that desire in his records, which thus far consist of a split with Julion D'Angelo and two EPs on his own label, Steady Flight Circle. The four tracks on his latest 12-inch, Places in Time, are mind-bending in both structure and approach. The record kicks off with "Let's Go See Roy" and "Promise 2," two tracks that hinge on both Xu's keyboard skills and his willingness to color outside the lines. There's no master clock here. The key is minor. The beats come and go as they please, hand-played, 75 BPM, whatever. This "free house" attitude continues on "Tired Of Being Tired," which nearly goes off the rails during its cacophonous climax, and "Easin," which begins with a hair-raising two-minute synth prelude. This is questing music. Xu has internalized the fearless approach of his mentor, Theo Parrish, and ventured into a bizarre, rewarding territory.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Going Public A2 Easin B1 Tireda Being Tired (What Are We Here For) B2 Promise2 B3 Let's Go See Roy
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