Sonje: Anagram
lomidhigh lmtd

Sonje's (Italian producer Massi DL) Anagram, only the third release in lomidhigh lmtd's 10-inch white label series (200 copies only), is as strong a two-tracker as Agnès's recent contribution. “Rosa D'abundo” lurches like a dazed behemoth with a huge, slow-motion low-end that's positively tailor-made to roast your system's innards. Despite its glass-shattering potency, the tune slithers almost elegantly, and its bass roar isn't so gargantuan that the tune's snake-rattling cymbal crescendos and croaking voice escape unnoticed, especially when beats subside during a brief breakdown. Though there's nothing overtly sexual content implied, the track's skanky crawl gives off an almost sadomasochistic scent that's hard to resist. The B-side's “Fusteration” at first writhes like an awakening spectre but then clears the cobwebs and gets moving with a bright-eyed house swing. Exotic insects whistle and jungle species chatter on all sides as singing synths play ping-pong over an insistently rumbling base. Intermittent breakdowns momentarily arrest the flow but also enable the groove to gather steam ever more forcefully after the pauses. Somehow, it seems only proper that music this bruising and, well, primordial should be issued on a heavy slab of vinyl.

May 2007