Joe Lewandowski - Ordinary Things & Other Problems - Amsem Records | The Electro Review

Joe Lewandowski
Ordinary Things & Other Problems
Amsem Records
Out: 19th February


We are pleased to review this latest output from France's Amsem with Joe Lewandowski heading up Ordinary Things & Other Problems. Do we define our normal experience by the problems we face? It raises an interesting question. I think sometimes we do. This four-tracked production takes ingredients from late night party vibes such as post-punk, house, and dark disco in order to form a work that can find its way into plenty of venues. The EP is said to build individual universes with each offering of sound, so let's plug it in and see what they look like.


On a heavy and forward-pushing synthesiser drone tone, rhythm breaks open the egg of Storm Eyes. Viscous and thick sounds drip and pour from the cupped container, overflowing with sonic class. Punchy bass then hits the spot, ramming up in between the rhythm on the drums. That synth continues until it splits into a spectrum of notes. They harmonise and bounce until a new a leading melody begins to direct the music. Catchy and smooth strings pluck through a thick and fizzy distortion, reaching pitches and speeds that elevate the energy of the track.


A thick and resonant bass then falls into place. A kick drum frames the pulsating slender melody as it rips through the quiet. Then a drum-fill and a synthesiser flourish push the gear into the new level. A clutch of bars helps too lubricate the flow as another synthesiser punch adds the desired effect. Walking bass continues through vocal echoes and additions of atmospheric percussion, all while heavy beats and a heavy-metal like guitar slaps chords in at highlighted interludes. Regazzi has a smooth and creamy filling that snaps with a little crunch as we bite down.


Bitter Sweet begins with a boing and a thumping bass. Twangy bass smashes a rhythmic pulse across a muffled kick. Synthesiser builds with multi-tonal harmonies as sways of sound implode and spread out. The bass continues to rip through the music as new drums find their place in the layering of tempo. A funky dance groove is predominant while moving swishes of moody synthesiser grasp the loose left-overs. Continual building reveals multi-storied towers of progression which sit on well-placed fulcra. As the music continues, more sounds pile in, vocal, synth, and digital orchestration all play their part.


It finishes with a smooth high-end percussion that sloshes with snare and metalwork. A sweeping bass carries the floor away as a pumping bass begins to pulse. Vocal spoken word then folds in, reverberating words instruct us to evacuate. The bass is then revealed once more as more composition unravels and continues the sonic story. It breaks with a distinctive run-down as ribbons of melody and emotive sounds flutter and fly from the end of the bars. Pipes and hoots scatter into airy spaces while flux and flow continue to add potential energy to the equation. Kingdom Of God is a marching journey through abstractica and funky bass which leaves us ready to begin the EP all over again.


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