Vakula: Hohol
Uzuri

Vakula was born in the ‘80s in Putivl, a small, ancient town in the Ukraine (his grandmother was a concert promoter who managed to get Quincy Jones to pass on advice and inspiration to the young producer) but there's clearly nothing small or ancient about the vibrant material he presents on the 12-inch Hohol. “Bill” works a sumptuously slinky funk-house groove over which female voices sinuously rise like cigarette smoke while a male voice whispers some trance-inducing message in the background. A deeply pumping pulse drives “Loop For My Friends” and Dionysian delirium inflames the steamy funk of “JF,” while Lerosa's “unsavoury” “Loop For My Friends” remix transports the tune to a humid jungle filled with exotic bird calls and subtle percussion touches. Traces of Chicago house and Detroit techno emerge in Vakula's tracks but the gyroscopic swing he generates feels both hypnotic and highly personal.

July 2008