- Big trance energy on a curveball release from half of Nummer.
- Summer is winding down in the Northern hemisphere. Boats are pulling back into dock, country manors are tearing down stages and Instagram stories are transitioning from panoramic Balearic sunsets to pitch-black nightclubs. 2023 was a big festival season with everyone from Nikki Nair to Julio Bashmore to Peggy Gou to Pangaea making a play for sound of the summer (even Kylie Minogue got in on the action). And if you're not quite ready to lean into the melancholy tones of pumpkin spice season, then Emmanuel Corre's latest EP as E-Talking, The Cosmic Egg, will bring you right back to, as Chal Ravens dubbed it, "anthems summer."
The A-side delivers a one-two punch of hands-in-the-air euphoria. "Rise Up" is peak-time techno sprinting along at 142 BPM, with a slightly acidic arpeggio that climaxes into a progressive lead line. The opener "Pads And Frogs" is funkier, with loose tribal drumming, but the melodies are no less anthemic. The strings could be vintage MFS, while the swirling synths remind me of the best neo-trance coming from labels like Planet Euphorique.
The flip is more understated, but just as indulgent—pitched-up tech house with "Life Begins Now" and skittering comedown chords and piano on "Neidan." All four tracks are big and brash, marking a change of pace for a producer who first rose to prominence as one half of the duo Nummer. They turned out vintage Detroit-style house with little hints of dub and outré strangeness (their 2017 debut LP is worth revisiting). Corre continued to get weirder on his solo releases for labels like AD93 and Going Good. This makes the flamboyant (and fast) dance music on The Cosmic Egg completely new territory. Coming out on Paramida's Love On The Rocks label, the record doesn't sound like bandwagon jumping so much as like Corre has found the right mentor to start 'aving it large proper.
TracklistA1 Pads & Frogs
A2 Rise Up
B1 Life Begins Now
B2 Neidan