Efdemin- Please EP

Efedemin
Please EP
Curle Recordings

Efdemin returns to Curle Recordings for the first time since 2008 with a slick two tracker of typically polished house.   The Belgian based Curle arrived on the scene in 2006 and now, nearly forty releases later, can still be a difficult one to pin down. With a catalogue boasting names such as Conforce, Matt O’Brien, Donato Dozzy, Jonas Kopp and Peter van Hoesen the latest issue offers a deeper side.
Phillip Sollmann, aka Efdemin, is one of those producers revered as much by those who occupy the space behind the decks as those in front. I have fond memories of Alan Abrahams bopping away at Freerotation last year, as Efdemin seduced the crowd on a sunny Sunday afternoon, only stopping to shout, “we love you Philip!”. Efdemin comes across as a mild mannered and amiable character and this shines through in much of his production, often resulting in a seemingly effortless glide.  So is the way then with both tracks on Please, with each weighing in around the ten-minute mark and patiently taking their time to unfold.

 The A-side, Farnsworth House, opens up with deep gulps of bass and a shuffling, rustling rhythm. Indulging his musical nerd, Efdemin uses samples from 1000 Robota’s ‘Fahr Weg’ to sprinkle detail into the track and an array of alien bleeps, snares and softly swirling sirens cloak the track in an atmospheric fuzz.  From the initial kick mellow chords drive the track deeper as a more melancholic edge emerges. Things build gently again with shallow waves of static before a trackier tone nudges it’s way in reminding me to some extent of Villalobos (think ‘Fruh’ maybe). A shrill female vocal drifts in and out over claps before the bass punches a little harder, squeezing out one last peak.
Blount is collaboration with Kassian Troyer and comes with a more nonchalant feel, floating along on a gentle bass line with simple claps and warm percussion. The occasional male voice interrupts at regular intervals, repeating something muffled, before the second breakdown introduces a more glamorous, funk to proceedings, all shimmering lights and beautiful people before the track slides out in a languid sway.

The balanced journey on Farnsworth House is the stand out on what is a pleasant release. It sounds like a disservice to call something pleasant. It isn’t. There is often a simple satisfaction to be found when you find yourself quietly smiling.

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