- Iron Curtis has only had a brief recording career thus far, notching a spot on Deetron's underrated Fuse mix and a remix of a release on the tiny two-B-Music imprint, but his quirky sound augurs a bright future for the producer. On his first solo release, Curtis taps into the deep house sound du jour on "Pumping Velvet," but can't help but put his own touch on the proceedings, dropping a techno vocal about wanting to let you know him. It's Motor City Drum Ensemble meets Marc Houle, but its titular adjective is the most important thing here. This track pumps with the best of them.
"The Ship Sank," meanwhile, is a pensive affair, with a reticent and echo-laden synth line that rarely announces itself before disappearing back into the night. Deep and brooding, the floating melody that finds itself swaying over top is a beacon of light in an otherwise grey track—making this a perfect builder to either emotion for the discerning DJ. On the flip, "Hands in the Air" is perhaps the sole indication of Curtis' sense of humor—it's the slowest and darkest tune on offer, with bells firing away into the ether and metallic clangs of beats bouncing off one another looking for a connection.
For fans of Curtis' striking aforementioned remix, "Solgerhood" might be your best bet. It takes those distinctive rounded synths into a wasteland of droning keyboards and open space. It's a remarkably deep track—almost as though it was constructed in three dimensions, if that makes any sense. It's not the best thing that Curtis has to offer—that honor goes to "The Ship Sank"—but it once again reminds that Curtis' productions are well on their way to becoming something you can buy sight unheard.
Tracklist A1 Pumping Velvet
A2 The Ship Sank
B1 Hands In The Air
B2 Solgerhood