Alejandro R
Deep Exchange
Pangea Recordings
This little EP hosts just 4 cuts, and while three of them are technically remixes, they all sound different enough to make a pleasant half hour of electronic repose. Mr. R hails from Argentina, and his sound falls in to the international electronic sampled synth school of just danceable rhythms and almost urgent melody lines. I hear a breathy male vocal sampled and modulated like a new instrument, I see a bar lit only by blue LEDs and soft glow of iPhones tuned to Tinder or Grinder. I sense hip audience of sophisticated club goers with no wannabees allowed. And I am cool enough to get through the door.
Lead track “Deep Exchange” builds and then subtly drops. The stereo separation puts some notes far to my left, others front and center, and spins the rest around the room. The remix employs short notes as minimalist punctuation. Sampled foreign tongues occasionally float across the ceiling acting as a call and response for those seeking a dance partner if nothing else. Remixes reveal different rhythm tracks, but the acute observer can hear constant notes and phrases that tie the collection together like a mid-century fashion magazine. On the stand alone “slowly Disappear” alarming synth chords pop up like targets in an old school shooting game. The punctuation is removed, leaving only the rhythm tracks and hide the build under an oriental rug of yet-to-be popular dance steps. There’s a party on this disk, and you may just be cool enough to attend. I was.
