textura

Andrew Emil: Nite Dreams EP
Yore

P0lyrhythm: Belleville EP
Yore

Specializing in classic house and techno, Andy Vaz's Yore imprint presents two new twelve-inch EPs that, issued on the same date, uphold the Köln-based label's rep for quality music. Credited to P0lyrhythm, Belleville features four muscular Detroit Techno workouts that, in fact, don't come from the Motor City but instead Finland, Olli-Petteri Pietilä (aka O-P Pietilä) having recorded the tunes at Transistor Studios in his native country. Nite Dreams, on the other hand, comes from Andrew Emil, who hails from Chicago and also goes by the name Change Request. His release features remixes (called here Dreamixes) by Emil of one of his own Change Request productions and two by other artists.

On Belleville, twinkly synthesizers give “Starlink” a spacey and slightly acidy quality before pounding kick drums enter to lift the tune to the heavens. The material charges forth breathlessly, its drum thrust abetted by an acidy bass line, creamy synth chords, and an aura of ecstasy. Following that dizzying techno-funk opener, “Belleville Dawn” couples undulating synthetic swirls with a feverish techno pulse that hits with the force of a battering ram. On the flipside, “Spaceport Saturn” takes the listener on a nine-minute tour through the Solar System, the groove this time deviating from its strict 4/4 by working an ear-catching stutter into its design. The tune swings so hard, it broadens its acid-techno identity to include house and even a little bit of dub. The EP concludes with “Techno Boulevard,” a classic Detroit exercise stoked by a rubbery bass throb and surging synth textures.

The three lustrous Dreamixes on Emil's Nite Dreams are, put simply, irresistible. Chicago-based music collective Artispure (feat. The Remedy) opens the release with the enticingly swinging “Chicago Underground,” its dynamic house groove sprinkled with claps, chunky synth chords, slick hi-hat accents, and soulful vocal interjections. Made over by Emil, the tune's straight-up fabulous. The snappy Change Request production “Sunday's Best” glides breezily on a tropical wave of claps, a skipping house groove, and gentle melodic figures that give the music a nostalgic, even plaintive quality. The closing cut, Emil's soulful treatment of “Sunlight” by native Chicagoan Elbert Phillips and singer Andre Espeut, shows no drop-off. With a snare-popping groove driving the tune and Espeut laying a beautiful vocal across the percolating backdrop, “Sunlight” rivals the other two tracks for quality and appeal.

April 2023


	Andrew Emil: Nite Dreams EP Yore P0lyrhythm: Belleville EP Yore Specializing in classic house and techno, Andy Vaz's Yore imprint presents two new twelve-inch EPs that, issued on the same date, uphold the Köln-based label's rep for quality music. Credited to P0lyrhythm, Belleville features four muscular Detroit Techno workouts that, in fact, don't come from the Motor City but instead Finland, Olli-Petteri Pietilä (aka O-P Pietilä) having recorded the tunes at Transistor Studios in his native country. Nite Dreams, on the other hand, comes from Andrew Emil, who hails from Chicago and also goes by the name Change Request. His release features remixes (called here Dreamixes) by Emil of one of his own Change Request productions and two by other artists. On Belleville, twinkly synthesizers give “Starlink” a spacey and slightly acidy quality before pounding kick drums enter to lift the tune to the heavens. The material charges forth breathlessly, its drum thrust abetted by an acidy bass line, creamy synth chords, and an aura of ecstasy. Following that dizzying techno-funk opener, “Belleville Dawn” couples undulating synthetic swirls with a feverish techno pulse that hits with the force of a battering ram. On the flipside, “Spaceport Saturn” takes the listener on a nine-minute tour through the Solar System, the groove this time deviating from its strict 4/4 by working an ear-catching stutter into its design. The tune swings so hard, it broadens its acid-techno identity to include house and even a little bit of dub. The EP concludes with “Techno Boulevard,” a classic Detroit exercise stoked by a rubbery bass throb and surging synth textures. The three lustrous Dreamixes on Emil's Nite Dreams are, put simply, irresistible. Chicago-based music collective Artispure (feat. The Remedy) opens the release with the enticingly swinging “Chicago Underground,” its dynamic house groove sprinkled with claps, chunky synth chords, slick hi-hat accents, and soulful vocal interjections. Made over by Emil, the tune's straight-up fabulous. The snappy Change Request production “Sunday's Best” glides breezily on a tropical wave of claps, a skipping house groove, and gentle melodic figures that give the music a nostalgic, even plaintive quality. The closing cut, Emil's soulful treatment of “Sunlight” by native Chicagoan Elbert Phillips and singer Andre Espeut, shows no drop-off. With a snare-popping groove driving the tune and Espeut laying a beautiful vocal across the percolating backdrop, “Sunlight” rivals the other two tracks for quality and appeal. April 2023