Paul Lyman: Tozer / Witchcraft
Veryverywrongindeed Recordings

The ever-reliable Veryverywrongindeed imprint serves up a fresh two-tracker, this one a set of tech-house bangers from Nottingham-based DJ-producer Paul Lyman (written and produced by Paul Gribby, we're told). The two so-called stonkers receive especially high marks from label head Tim Sheridan (not that that's a huge surprise) who reports that, during extensive road-testing, clubbers typically made beelines for the decks, desperate for the name of the producer responsible for the material.

Having called the proceedings to order with a jaunty minimal bounce, “Tozer” slyly sneaks in ear-bending effects such as the cheeky, marimba-like percussive thrum that peppers the cut's buoyant pulse and a mid-song breakdown that features Lyman channeling his inner Liberace so potently the candelabra veritably appears before one's eyes. The slightly darker “Witchcraft” gets dirt under its black-polished fingernails with a metallic, percussion-heavy throwdown that marries syncopated tribal patterns with a burning synth-bass pulse and an equally on-fire house swing. Amounting to a quarter-hour only, the release vanishes quickly, but leaves one wanting more—always a good sign.

April 2011