Principleasure Arduin EP | The Electro Review

​Principleasure
Arduin EP
Out 23rd September


Already known for releasing Mixmag's Electro Album of the Month with his previous debut “I”, the LA producer returns with a slightly more dance-floor outlook. Isolating particular retro grooves and techniques then building them into a modern sounding formulation, a merging of past, present, and future creates a multi-faceted production. Utilising rhythm and pulse as well as drone and drifting bass, this new EP challenges the definitions of genre in exciting ways.


Beaty blips rounded with a steady electro kick opens the first track. The amplitude swells, invigorating the synths into new formations. More melody joins in beneath as brassy sounds and swelling bass dance in space-age helices. A dancing motif revolves in the background while powerful synthesiser tones droop and burst across the sonic horizon. As the music progresses, swinging tones swoop across our perspectives. The rhythm stops to allow a smooth insertion of the key melody before a new arpeggio style decoration reveals a tempo. Citrola opens the EP on an interesting and ear-pricking intent.


Title-track Arduin comes next, it starts with a dramatic synth-wave style melody. Frantic notes searching for safety explore a rhythmic room of neatly portioned drum. Cymbals begin, their edges crisping the sides of the composition while a surging bass, chunky and vibrant, digs trenches around the walls. A new melody starts, a tripling effect of intent pushes the music forward at an ever increasing speed. The franticity of the mix gives way to dreamy tones which scope slowly for surrounding data. Surging and bass driven parts sludge around in dirty puddles while the precise and energy rich high end spins and twists on neat sixpences.


Next, a wave of synthesiser washes over in a minimal yet evocative melody. Dappled notes spread like blotted inks across wide open cartography paper. Pressure rises over a period of about two minutes to build a wash of emotional sonics. Qom is a short number, which works as a prelude to what comes next. A battery of exploratory synthesisers begin to chug to a simple up and down melody. A drum and bass side ensures that the energy is continually pushed upwards. A smash of cymbals strikes again and again in a neatly portioned river of treble. Synthesiser builds to create a motion of notes that continually grows in dimension and accompaniment. Psychotrope takes us deep and flies us high on two distinct trains of musical thought.


The EP closes on Spiral Jetty. Dreamy low tones scale boulder like shapes while shining and twinkling lights sparkle. Pattering like heavy rain in a street-lit urban landscape, the odd car swooshing past with trails of spray behind, the music builds an eerie and exploratory area. Again, a short number designed to garnish this motivating and interesting EP.

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