Alex Under - Collage

maroko, May 19, 2008

I heard Alex Unders track "El Encuentro" on M. A. N. D. Y.s 2006 "At The Controls" double CD mixed compilation on Resist Music, and instantly decided to purchase the EP. While the mix itself was soon enough forgotten as far as Im concerned, it will however be remembered for drawing my attention to this talented producer.

What can I say here...? Plus 8 Records Ltd. has hardly ever made a mistake, and this is no different. In this plague of samey minimal and subtle releases, Alex Under does the impossible and makes his 12" stand out from the bunch. The first track has an unmistakeable melody, coupled with soft and steady percussion making its way from the background, but the emphasis is always on the musicality here. Long and repetitive, but by the third minute you wont even notice it, as youll be too busy staring at the whiteness of your bedroom wall. Mmmmmmm, tasty.
We move onto the second track, "Fortuito", which starts on the minimal side of things as well, but slowly sounds and fragments of tiny layers will arouse until the mother of all groovy melodies hits you with the 03:10 mark. From then on, youre back to the briefly interrupted hypnotic state of mind.
On the flip side, we have "Distantes", the last and the shortest track on this EP. Its more up-beat than the previous two numbers, but it doesnt deviate too much from the minimal niche. And it faithfully follows the formula already displayed on the other two tracks: starts with the basic drum kick and accompanying bass line, slowly builds up with some typical klik-klak/plik-plok sounds until a gorgeous melody sweeps me off my feet a little after the 4 minute mark. Argh, by this time Im either falling in love with the wall or just getting plain pissed off cause the EP is about to finish. What? Only three tracks? Yup, but its three numbers I could play any time of the day and still feel like Ive just hit the lottery. Probably too early to label this a classic, but the essential sticker is well earned here. Get it.

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